


The Wolves Of Twilight

by SRGermain



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Awkward Romance, Book: New Moon, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Funny, Gay, Gay Male Character, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Imprinting (Twilight), Kissing, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, La Push Washington, M/M, Mates, Neck Kissing, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Teen Romance, True Love, Twilight References, Vampires, Werewolf, Werewolf Mates, Wolf Pack, teen, twilight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 50,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28704024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SRGermain/pseuds/SRGermain
Summary: La Push was a quiet place where the only really interesting thing that happened around this town was the alleged cult of Sam Uley, but let's not get into that just yet, shall we?Let me first start off with who I am and where to start this damn story. Well, my name is Casey Apha, and no, I am not a girl and this is not some love story about how I found the love of my life. This is a story about the internal struggles of an average boy who suddenly became a lot less average and a lot more  . . . interesting. This is about a boy who suddenly becomes aware of both the fact that he can now phase into a giant wolf on command, and also how the sun reflects off of his best friends eyes make them glow like honey.But with that being said my life has grown to be a lot more complicated. The main source of my problems starting with those lusciously brown eyes that leave me wondering what the hell I'm thinking?And sometime in between the self loathing and patrol times I learn to love him and most importantly, love myself.Follow along with Casey's story as he finds love, acceptance and a place to belong.(All rights go to Stephanie Meyer, but Casey and his family belong to me)
Relationships: Embry Call/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CoyoteChasingThunder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoyoteChasingThunder/gifts).



Chapter One: Headache

_**The Wolves of Twilight** _

_["You're a dumbass." I stated as I walked with him in the hallway.]_

~~~

A howl erupted from outside my opened window and startled me awake. I gasped from the sudden noise, then blanked at what I was dreaming about. I want to say that I'm a deep sleeper, but I'm anything but that. I could wake up to the sound of a pin dropping. Sleep has never really been a friend of mine. But, hell I wish it was.

I looked to my alarm clock placed on the small table next to my bed, I was up ten minutes early.

I rolled my eyes at my punctuality and turned off my alarm. "Why am I like this?" I groaned and stumbled out of bed.

After I had gotten dressed and made sure I looked somewhat presentable for school I went in search of food. My parents were already up as they always were. I passed them in the kitchen muttering a sleepy 'hello' while grabbing my cereal.

"Someone's tired today." My mom said as she took a sip of her coffee. Coffee, man that would be helpful right now but I can't stand the taste, plus I don't react well to caffeine. It kind of counters my ADHD and makes me more tired. Let's just say I'm extremely lucky.

"Mom, I'm always tired." I told her.

She chuckled, her brown eyes were always filled with so much happiness, even when I was being a little shit. "Oh, I know." She mused.

My father walked in from the living room and smacked me in the head with his news paper playfully. "Wake up, kid." He smiled and then kissed my mom.

"No PDA in the kitchen please, I wanna keep my cereal down." I joked.

My mom shook her head lightly, "You won't feel the same way once you find someone to love."

"Casey and love shouldn't be in the same sentence." My twin sister Jessie smiled as she came into the kitchen. She readjusted her glasses and smirked at me. "He's always doing stupid stuff, he'll never get a girl friend." She laughed.

"Good morning to you too, Jess." I yawned, not really caring about her insult. "Oh, and how's your boyfriend doing? Oh wait, I forgot. You don't have one." I countered and took a triumphant bite out of my cereal.

"Yeah, yeah, I just don't like any of the boys in our grade," she paused and rephrased, "or school for that matter."

"Ah, yes. La Push high school, where the melanin's high and the maturity is low."

"Oh, don't fret it you two, you'll find love eventually. High-school isn't really the time for dating anyways." Mom said.

"Yeah, but it would be nice." I heard Jessie mumble. She had never really been lucky when it came to dating. I mean, neither was I but I could care less right now. Relationships sound stressful, and all the ones I've seen are a train wreck. I mean, I guess besides my parents. But, that's besides the point. Dating is dumb and pointless in my opinion. Though, then again, I would be lying if I said that the thought hadn't crossed my mind.

After my lovely breakfast with my family I slung my back pack over my shoulder and got ready to walk to school. It's not too far, ten to fifteen minutes at the most, maybe five if you ran. But let's be honest, I'm not gonna run.

"It's 7 o'clock, kids. Time for school." My dad said as he walked to his truck. He has to drive to forks for work, what a disgusting place. It just puts a bad taste in my mouth. All the kids there are depressed and fucked up. Another thing is why do they have to be just so blatantly annoying? Whenever I drive Jake over there all they ever do is stare and whisper amongst themselves like little kids. It just bothers me. I hate being the center of attention. Jake doesn't mind it though, he'll flip his hair like he's in a L'Oreal commercial and walk like he's on the red carpet. But, I know he only acts that way to get Bella's attention. And to her boyfriends dismay, it kind of works. With that being said I do call him a dick every time I take notice of him trying to flirt with her. What? I might be his cousin but I'm not gonna just sit and watch him flirt with a girl who's taken. Damn, who do you take me for?

"Oh, god I'm late!" My youngest sister Luna rushed into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. She picked up her bag and practically crashed into me.

"Slow down kid. You made it." I told her. Luna is an anxious person like me. If she isn't on her usual schedule it messes up her entire morning. She's a very on top of things type of person, which is a good trait to have at her age.

"The battery in my alarm died last night. It wasn't on this morning." She said.

"Well, if you were more like Casey you wouldn't need an alarm." Jessie said.

"No thank you. I like sleep." Luna said referring to my terrible insomnia issues.

"Yeah? Me too." I said.

"Well, you guys better get going or you'll be late. Good bye my lovelies." My mom kissed all of us on the forehead like she does every morning and sent us off after we said our goodbyes.

I opened the door and got a face full of sunlight, the sudden brightness made me close my eyes. My brain felt like mush.

"Okay, Case. I know I'm not the smartest kid at school, but even I know not to stare directly at the sun." Jessie said while readjusting her glasses with a laugh. Jessie is very blind and uses glasses to see, but usually she'll wear contacts most of the time. She says they're less annoying.

I turned to her. "I think there's this website you should check out. It's called shutthefuckup.com." I countered.

She scoffed. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Sure." In all honesty, I woke up feeling a bit off. Nothing too serious, just the start of a cold probably. Plus, I don't think having a run last night helped, now I was sore. I usually run when I have something on my mind, so as you can probably guess that is quite often. But, I don't know, I guess I must've pushed myself too hard. Eh, whatever. It is what it is.

"What's up, cousin?" Jacob smacked me in the back of the head as he usually did on our walks to school every morning. Jacob and I are pretty close, more like brothers than cousins. We were always at each others houses and I don't think it helped that we're neighbors. We're both sixteen and still act like the doofy little twelve year old's we once were. Our whole friend group is a load of goofballs, so the whole getting smacked around thing was normal and I'd usually laugh it off, but not today.

"Please don't." I rubbed the sore spot on the back of my skull. Why won't this head ache go away?

"What's up with you?" Jake asked. He looked confused. Usually, I'm a morning person and I'd be in much higher spirits. But today I felt sluggish and groggy. Yes, I know. I'm a rare breed.

"He's grumpy." Jessie said simply.

"Ah, I see." He smiled goofily.

"Did you get to run yesterday?" Luna asked, knowing that when I miss my runs I'm off the next day. It's a good habit, I swear. It helps stop my mind from spinning, or in other words, it helps stop the thoughts of all the times I embarrassed myself from running rampant in my head. But then again, who knows? I think I'm just a weirdo in all honesty.

"Yeah, I just didn't sleep well." I responded, not even turning to her. I didn't have the energy to.

"You never sleep well." Jessie complained for me.

"Don't remind me."

We finally arrived at school and I was met by my stupidly rambunctious friends.

"What's up, my dudes?" Quil gave us each a friendly punch, but stopped abruptly when getting to Jessie. "Nope, not doing that again." He said and skipped over to Jake.

"Glad someone in this group has a brain." Jessie smirked.

"Well, you punch hard for a girl." He subconsciously rubbed his own shoulder at the memory. Man, now that was funny. She left a pretty good bruise too, and it was in the shape of a dolphin, so we called him flippers for a week.

"Now, imagine that but a thousand times worse. That's what being her brother is like." I said.

"Hey, don't leave me out of it. I'm not any different than you." Jake added.

"Don't worry, guys. There's enough punches to go around. I've gotta spread the love." Jessie laughed.

"Are we talking about Jessie's unbelievably hard punches again?" Embry joined the conversation with a friendly smile graving his lips. Embry is one of the many jokers of the group. He's very relaxed and confident, unlike me. Very much unlike me. I wish I could say that I'm a smooth mother fucker, but that just isn't the case. Finger guns and puns just don't work the way they used to.

"What else would we be talking about? It's not like we have lives or anything." Quil joked. Now Quil tries to sound all cool or whatever, but it just doesn't have the same impact like Embry. And Jacob is just terrible at anything flirting related, especially when it comes to Bella Swan. I get second hand embarrassment just watching the two interact.

"Sorry guys. I'm just the life of the party." Jessie giggled. I know it might seem like she's all tough and everything, but it's just a façade. She's honestly one of the nicest most caring people I know. And everyone here knows that. She's the baby of the group, and nobody touches baby.

~~~

The day felt dreadfully slow and the pounding in my head never went away. Whatever cold I'm coming down with is a bitch, that's for sure.

I was thankful that at least lunch was soon. There I could get a mental break from the tough classes. I only had English and art class left. In my opinion, very good classes to end the day on.

"Did you finish the math homework?" Jake asked me as we sat in our usual seats.

"Jake, we're in math class. You didn't think to ask me this morning, or even last night?"

He shrugged. "I Forgot."

I rolled my eyes. "Typical."

"Well, I'm just glad it's Friday." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Jake, it's thursday."

"Well, maybe for you. I'm not coming in tomorrow." He smiled.

"And, why is that?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why not?" He answered simply.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head lightly. "You're an enigma, Jacob."

He laughed and leaned back further in his seat. "Whoa!" This time he pushed a little too far and the whole chair tipped over with a smack. Everyone in the class turned to see what the commotion was about. I turned into a cackling fool.

I laughed at the scene in front of me, as if I haven't done the same thing before. That was until Jacob winced and held the back of his head. Oh boy.

"Jake, are you okay?" I asked him.

"I don't know, do you normally have two heads?" He asked.

Mr. Malcolm stormed over to us, an angry look was apparent on his face. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Jake fell and smacked his head. I think he should go to the nurse." I said before Jake could argue.

Mr. Malcolm rolled his eyes. This isn't the first time something like this has happened among my friends. Mr. Malcolm is also the designated teacher of our study hall, and we're all in it. The schedules creators really didn't think that one through.

Our teacher let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Apha would you escort Mr. Black to the nurse's office, please?"

I nodded and turned to my cousin who held a childish grin on his face.

"You're a dumbass." I stated as I walked with him in the hallway.

"Well, maybe I'm extremely smart. I just got us out of math class." He countered.

I rolled my eyes. Typical Jacob.

Once we got to the nurses office Jacob and I plopped down in the seats lining the waiting area and waited for the old lady to appear. She's nice and all, but she will blab on and on for days.

"Alright, boys. What happened here?" The nurse smiled.

"Jacob smacked his head." I told her, leaving out the minor details.

"Mhm." She mused. "Alright, c'mere. Let me see if you have a concussion."

I snickered as she checked him out. He looked very uncomfortable and that's why I was laughing.

"You seem to be clear, but here's an ice pack and some ibuprofen for the headache." She smiled.

That was when the bell rang, and I was glad I decided to bring my stuff with me to the nurse.

"You're still a dumbass." I said again and sat at our usual lunch table.

Jacob waved me off and put the ice pack on his head.

"What's up, bitches?" Quil sat down opposite me and next to Jake. He looked at the boy. "What did you do?"

Before he could answer Embry and Jessie walked in sitting on both sides of me.

Jake cleared his throat and everyone turned to him. Here comes the show. "It was horrible, awful even. Malcolm beat me with his yard stick. The rest of the class didn't make it, I am the only survivor."

"Um, Jake. I'm in your cla-"

"Shhh, if only Casey were still here. Sometimes I can still hear his voice."

"He fell out of his chair and smacked his head." I disregarded the theatrics. "Nurse said he's fine, but I'm beginning to think he has brain damage."

"My rendition was much better." He crossed his arms.

"Yours was incorrect."

"Mine was wonderful. You're just no fun." He joked.

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time today.

"Can we all agree that Jacob is a dumbass?" Embry piped in.

"Yup."

"Agreed."

"Wha-hey-wait guys. That's not true." We all ganged up on him.

"Sorry, Jakie. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out."

He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

That was when my head ache intensified drastically making me grab my forehead with a wince.

"Whoa, hey are you okay?" Embry put a supporting hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at him and appreciated his concern. "Yeah, this headache is just kicking my ass, that's all." I reassured him, yet he still looked skeptical. I guess this is a bit odd for me. Headaches like these only come around a few times a year, but mostly in the winter when colds were most prevalent.

"Dude, if you need to go home, go home. I don't care if you don't wanna miss art class. Go home if it's too much." Mother Embry has entered the chat.

I smiled lightly. "Will do, mom."

\---

Art class was the one thing I loved about school. Everything else was secondary.

I sat in my usual seat and pulled out my sketch book. Today was a day where we could do whatever type of art we wanted and I decided to just stick to simple pencil art.

"This seat taken?" Embry pointed to the seat next to me.

"Uh, yeah. My friend Embry is sitting there." I grinned.

He smirked at me and sat down. "Whatcha drawing today?" He asked.

"Something." I said truthfully. "I don't know yet." I continued.

"Hey guys." Jessie sat down at our table and mirrored what I was doing. This is something my family does, we make art.

Just as I was about to put my signature on my paper another ping of pain went through my head, moving to the area behind my eyes. I groaned in annoyance.

"Casey?" Embry asked making Jessie look up as well.

"It's fine. I'm fine." I told them.

Embry turned to my sister. "Make sure he gets some rest tonight instead of running around like a maniac." He instructed her. And this is why Embry is my best friend. He's just so genuine.

She grinned lightly. "I'll try my best. This kid just loves the woods."

I grinned at my own stubbornness. "I'm fine, Em."

"Sure, bud. You keep telling yourself that."

"I will, thank you very much."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes and everyone's turn to go home.

Everything seemed better once I got home. It gave me a false sense of normalcy. Yet, what was happening to me was anything but normal, and I was soon going to figure it out in the worst way possible.

_**Hey, guys. Hope you liked it so far. Things are about to get crazier so stick around for that. I promise it'll get a lot more interesting, just you wait.** _

_**Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!** _


	2. Chapter Two: Falling

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[I was left hovering over him, face to face. So close our noses could touch. "I-I, uh . . ."]_

__

~~~

I ran as fast as I could. Everything around me was a blur. The trees blending into green blobs as I fled for my life. I had to run. I had to.

Growls resonated behind me and I knew full well who was making them. Wolves, huge ass wolves. And I knew that if I stopped running I was going to die.

That was when I heard a scream that made me stop dead in my tracks. It was Jessie. I turned around and the wolves were no longer chasing me, but had circled in on my sister. "Jessie!" I yelled.

She let out another terrified scream as they closed in. "No, stop! Get away from her!" I tried to move but my body refused.

They jumped at her and that's when I finally opened my eyes. I lurched up in my bed breathing harshly. I was covered in a cold sweat. It was a dream. Well, actually a nightmare.

"Argh!" I growled to myself. I've had this dream a few times now, waking up periodically throughout the night because of it. It haunts me. But, why? What does it mean? I'm afraid of finding out.

I rubbed my tired eyes and tried to take a deep breath. I hated it, I hated it with all of my being.

Well, at least it's Friday.

I looked at my alarm and saw that it was 9 o'clock. "Oh, fuck! I'm late!" I hopped out of bed and threw on some clothes and rushed downstairs. I stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed my back pack.

"Whoa! Hey, kid slow down! You're alright." My mom laughed.

"I'm late! My alarm didn't go off."

Jessie got up off the couch. "That's my doing." She smiled.

"What? Why?"

"Well, seeing how off you were yesterday and how hard all of you guys have been working we decided to let you guys play hookie today." My mom explained.

"So you let me sleep in?" I asked and dropped my back pack.

She nodded. "Yup, the boys will be here in a bit. They said something about going to the beach."

I couldn't believe it. I was skipping school and my parents were okay with it. I'm not gonna question that. "Alright!" I said excitedly and ran back to my room to pack some things for the beach. It's ultimate Frisbee time.

An hour passed and I could hear Jakes old truck come down the street. I knew it was them by the music playing and laughter trailing behind it. I figured Jake went to pick up the boys since they don't have their licenses yet.

I ran down stairs and Jessie peered up at me with a confused look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"They're here." I said while opening the door.

"No, Quil said they're around the corner." She stood up and looked out the window. I opened the door and sure enough my friends came barreling around the block.

"Did he text you?" Jessie asked perplexed.

"No."

"Then how did you-"

"Who cares? C'mon!" I yanked her arm and outside we went.   
Could she seriously not hear them coming? Hm, odd.

"Hey guys!" I said in much higher spirits. I was feeling much better today. Whatever fog I was in yesterday seemed to pass.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is, Mr. Apha has got a new look." Quil laughed.

New look? "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Awe baby Casey is finally growing up." Jessie pinched my cheek playfully.

I pushed her hand away and stuck out my tongue like a five year old. "You're just jealous." I said when in reality I had no idea what they were talking about.

I jumped into the truck along with Jessie, and Jake started to drive. "Man, now you have muscles and height. Cut your hair some more and you'll look like Paul Lahote." Jake joked.

Now I was getting it. No wonder why I smacked my head on the door frame last night, which didn't help the head ache by the way. I had grown a few inches. I always was a bit muscular, not ripped but fit enough. But the height, now that was new. That would explain why I was so sore yesterday. It was just a growth spurt. A normal teenage boy thing. Nothing to worry about, right?

"Yeah right! I'm not joining a cult, thank you very much." I responded. "And plus, you're just mad that I get all the babes." I added. Sam Uley's cult, let's elaborate, shall we? Okay, so Sam Uley has been recruiting these kids who are around my age. Out of nowhere they gain muscles and get taller and suddenly they don't talk to anyone at school. Like they're too good for that. The infamous members I'm talking about are Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron. They were once average kids like us and suddenly they look like they could pulverize you with a single look. So, yeah. That's a club I don't feel like joining.

"What babes? I don't see any." Jacob teased. "Plus, your hair could never out shine mine." He flipped his hair dramatically. My hair has always been short. Similar to Quil but without the curls.

"In your dreams, cuz!" I ruffled his hair, which probably isn't smart considering he is driving but then again I am dumb.

"Hands off the driver." He laughed and brushed his hair out of his face. "Before you get us all killed."

"My bad." I grinned guiltily.

\---

We finally arrived at the beach and the tide was out giving us prime room to play Frisbee. This is perfect.

We placed our bags down and Jacob, Jessie and Quil raced to the water. I waited a second and closed my eyes. I was trying to soak in the sun while I still could.

"Feeling better I see." Embry said. "Feeling good enough to play some Frisbee?" He gave me a challenging grin.

I turned to him. "You bet I am. I must've been dehydrated or something." I figured.

He nodded and set his bags down as well. "I brought ibuprofen just in case." He gave me a nervous smile and scratched behind his neck, then quickly added, "Ya know, so I don't have an unfair advantage when I beat your ass in Frisbee." Why did he say it like that?

I smiled at his consideration, but didn't mention it. "Sure. You and I know that if anything me not being in top shape would even the playing fields."

He let out a mocking laugh and pulled off his shirt.

I did the same thing in an attempt to try and get rid of that tight feeling I sometimes get in my chest. It comes and goes, and I can't quite identify the source yet. Though sometimes I think it's because- no it can't be that.

"Race ya!" Em pushed me and we bolted down to the waves.

After our splash fest we decided it was time to play Frisbee. I couldn't hold back my excitement. I'm like a dog when you ask if they wanna go play.

"Okay, so how are we doing the teams? The choices are either three on two or-" Jake was interrupted.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not playing with you maniacs. You play dirty." Jessie said.

"No we don't." I protested.

She turned to Quil. "Quil, how did you hurt your ankle last summer?"

"Jake tripped me." He said simply.

She turned to Jake. "Jake, how did you get that scar on your elbow?"

"Casey tackled me and I hit a rock." He said sadly. In all honesty, I didn't see the rock.

"And Quil, what about that big bite mark from two years ago?"

"Hey, that was an accident. His arm went into my mouth." Embry defended.

"Uh, huh. Sure. I'm gonna watch and make sure none of you lose a limb." She decided.

"Okay, ref." I saluted her and grabbed the Frisbee from my back pack.

She rolled her eyes and plopped herself in one of the beach chairs.

That was when the game was on.

"Run, run, run!" I yelled to Jacob, my fellow team member. I tossed him the Frisbee and ran for the end line so he could throw the disk back at me.

Quil was close behind Jake trying to block his throw. And Embry stood in front of me with his hands waving in the air.

"Block him, Quil! Block him!" Embry instructed.

"Jake, quickly! Over to me!" I jumped in the air in front of Embry and lunged for the Frisbee. And that was when I fell to what I thought would be the ground, but that wasn't what I landed on. Oh no, I landed smack on top of Embry.

I was left hovering over him, face to face. So close our noses could touch. "I-I, uh . . ." I couldn't even speak. I wanted to move, I honestly did but at the same time that tight feeling I sometimes get in my chest had moved all throughout my body and I was left frozen. I was stuck looking into his eyes, those brown eyes that render me motionless.

I think what made it that much worse was how he just stared back at me with pure confusion, yet there was an expression he was making that I couldn't quite decipher. Somehow I figured I was making the same face.

"Nice catch, Casey." Jake said as he hoisted me up off of Embry. Quil helped Embry to his feet.

"I, uh, yeah, yeah. Thanks." My words were all jumbled. I felt so flustered. Why was I so flustered? This can't be right? Can it? No, no it can't.

"Yeah, you took out your opponent and managed to get across the line." Quil laughed. "That was great!" He continued.

I sheepishly looked up at Embry who's cheeks were pink. He smiled shyly. "Yeah, uh, great job, Case. Almost gave me a concussion." He joked. Yet, that smoothness in his voice was missing. And, that worried me.

I steadied myself and tried to speak more collectively. "Sorry, I told ya I take ultimate Frisbee seriously." I let out a small laugh which he responded with a snort.

"Remind me not to get in your line of fire next time." He smiled.

"Alright guys! I call game. I'm starving." Jessie interrupted the awkward tension. I was grateful.

"Fine by me!" Quil said and ran to grab his stuff. We all followed. And it wasn't until the boys were out of hearing range when Jessie talked to me.

"You okay? You look kind of flustered." She whispered.

Her question was surprising, yet predictable. She could always read me like a book.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I said, although I wasn't so sure.

She gave me a disbelieving look. "If you ever wanna talk about it, you know where to find me." She padded my shoulder and skipped up to the rest of the group.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

\---

After some much needed dinner everything was back to normal again, well somewhat. That headache came back and this time with a vengeance. I rested my head in between my hands on the picnic table we were sitting at. Everyone was goofing around too much to notice my discomfort. Which, in all honesty, I didn't mind. I hate having people worry about me.

Embry's hand on my shoulder startled me from my thoughts. "You good?" He asked simply.

I nodded. "Yeah. The headache came back." I grinned lightly.

"I thought you said you were just dehydrated."

"Well, that's what I thought. Maybe I was wrong. I think I just need some sleep."

He nodded his head. "Sleep is good." He agreed. "Have you actually been getting any?"

I let out a short laugh. "You know me to well, Em. But no, not as much as I'd like."

"Is it the insomnia again?"

"Actually, no. I've been getting these weird nightmares. They keep me up all night." I said truthfully. I didn't feel like lying to him.

"Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?" He tilted his head.

"The type that leave you feeling like you just ran a marathon after you woke up."

"That bad?"

I nodded again. "Yeah, I-I don't wanna go into detail." I didn't feel like rehashing the thought of Jessie being mauled to death by wolves.

"It's fine. I get it." He gave me a reassuring look. "I think we've all been there at some point in our lives."

"It's not a fun point to be at." I chuckled.

"No. But it'll pass, as all things do."

"Wise words with Embry." I waved my hand dramatically.

He punched me in the shoulder playfully. "I'm serious." He laughed.

"I know." I smirked at him. "I know."

**_CHAPTER TWO two is done, bitches! I hope you liked it!_ **

**_Things are beginning to heat up between the boys hehe. It is going to be interesting to see what the future brings for these two awkward babies. Especially when you see who Jessie ends up with, but I won't spoil anything and you'll just have to read on._ **

**_Hehe thanks for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	3. Chapter Three: Bella Swan

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[_ "Hm, it would be a shame if we told her every embarrassing story about Jake." My grin grew wider. _]_  
  


~~~

I slept the entire weekend. I only woke up to eat and go to the bathroom, but immediately went back to my bed again. I could see that my family was beginning to worry, I was beginning to worry. But everything will work out. I'm sure of it.

Actually, I'm not, I'm really, really not. But, to forget about those worries I sleep, which seems to be something my body just can't get enough of. Yet, even though I sleep and sleep and sleep, it doesn't feel like I've slept at all. In fact, I felt even more tired when I woke up than when I first closed my eyes.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I was in the dark, I felt cool earth underneath my feet which led me to believe that I was outside. But still, I couldn't see anything. It was like the light switch had been turned off. It was horrifying. 

A voice rang out. "Casey! Casey, help me!" It was Embry and he sounded frantic. "Casey! Open your eyes!"

I tried to open them, but it was like they were glued shut. So instead, I tried to speak, yet whatever force shutting my eyes had also sealed my mouth.

I let out a muffled whimper. My attempt to try and say his name.

I felt fur brush past my fingertips and I knew what was there. The wolves. They've returned.

"Please! Casey! H-help!" He screamed out. I tried to move to him, but my feet were planted to the ground as if they were in cement.

I let out a muffled scream, and tried to move, to do anything. But all of my efforts were futile. Nothing worked.

A growl echoed through the trees and a yowl of pain came after it.

I cried out and wailed.

"Casey, Casey! Wake up!" A hand shook me from my trance and I sprung awake. I looked up to see little Luna and Jessie sitting on my bed.

"It's okay, Case. It was just a nightmare." Luna said.

I grabbed them into a tight embrace relishing the feeling of no longer being alone. I cried into their shoulders and just let it all out.

"Shh, it's okay. You're okay." Luna reassured me. If I didn't have them I think I would've lost my mind by now.

I calmed down and just sat with them. "I'm beginning to worry about you, Case." Jessie whispered.

"I'm beginning to worry about me too."

\---

Later on after a lovely day at school we all went home, though Quil, Embry and I stopped at a diner to have some French fries and shakes first. My appetite has sky rocketed the last few days. I don't know where I'm putting it all.

"Damn, how did you finish that so fast?" Quil asked. He was only half way through his food.

"I don't know, hungry I guess." I shrugged.

"Crazy is more like it." Embry said.

I punched him in the shoulder playfully and we soon went back to my house. But something was different, an old beat up pick up truck was sitting in Jacob's driveway.

Me and the boys all looked at each other and laughed. "Looks like Bella Swan is here to hang out with our pal, Jacob." Quil grinned.

"Hm, it would be rude to not stop by and say hi." Embry continued.

We all smiled devilishly as we all knew what we needed to do.

"Hm, it would be a shame if we told her every embarrassing story about Jake." My grin grew wider.

"Oh, yes. Such a shame."

We popped open the garage door and saw Jacob talking to the socially awkward Bella Swan.

"Jacob! My mom said for you to stop leaving your thongs all over the lawn!" I yelled loudly just before I entered the work shop. I heard a loud sigh then entered behind Quil and Embry who were losing their shit at my hilarious joke.

Jacob sighed. "It's just my boys."

"Oh, hi Bella, long time no see. Sorry about Jacob, he's a bit of a hassle to deal with. He was dropped on his head when he was a baby."

Bella laughed awkwardly, but I knew it was genuine. She always was shy. It's funny how she ended up hanging with Jacob, he's the most extroverted kid I know.

"Guys, this is Bella. Bella, this is Quil, Embry and my asshole of a cousin, Casey." Jacob disregarded my antics and formally introduced the girl. Though, I already knew her since we kind of knew each other as kids and well, Jacob also won't ever shut up about her.

"Love you too." I responded.

"Hi, I'm Quil Ateara." Quil mustered up a deep voice to which I scoffed at.

"And I'm the president of the United states." Embry added.

"Ooh, ooh, I love this game." I laughed. "I'm the tooth fairy." I pointed to my teeth.

"I thought you said you were Santa Claus." Embry asked.

"Shh, Em. That's supposed to be a secret!" I pushed him and he shoved me back.

Quil cut in between us and put us each in a head lock so we couldn't move.

Jake rolled his eyes and turned back to Bella.

"So, the Bike building story is true?" Quil asked still wrapping his arms around me and Em so we couldn't tackle one another.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I taught him everything he knows." She said with a shy smile.

"What about the part where you're his girl friend?" Quil continued.

I cackled and wiggled out of Quil's grip along with Embry.

"Ah, depends." The girl blushed, bringing some much needed color to her face.

"Ooh, burn!" Embry said.

I turned to Jacob. "You've been busted!"

"Uh, actually I remember I said she's a girl and a friend." Jacob tried to play it off.

I turned to Embry. "Embry, do you remember him making that distinction?" I asked.

"Nope!"

We all laughed to which the shy girl suddenly spoke up. "So, you guys have girlfriends? That's awesome." Ooh, Bella got backbone.

Jacob laughed at this. "Yeah, right." He laughed once more. "Quil's actually taking his cousin to prom."

We all laughed. "Yeah, still a riot. You want funny, Black? I'll give ya funny." Quil lunged at Jacob and they began to scuffle.

Embry and I moved out of the way and over to Bella. "Five bucks on Quil." I said to Bella.

"You're on." She responded. She's not so bad after all.   
  


**_I think it was the whole I'm Santa Claus thing that got me lmao. I had to make it funnier. You have to agree with me on that. Especially after that awful nightmare. He knows something's up, don't worry its happening soon. Things are about to get more interesting in the next chapter. I promise ;)_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!_ **


	4. Chapter Four: Whoops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Slight content warning: homophobia (one comment) and harassment/bullying)

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_["Paul, Paul, he's our man if he can't win, great!" Jared Cameron yelled out to his friend which made Paul roll his eyes.]_

  
~~~  
  


A few days passed and as the week progressed my body felt lie it was falling apart. My nightmares got worse, my headaches got worse, the soreness got worse, everything got worse.

I slumped myself into one of the kitchen chairs and mindlessly picked at my muffin.

My mom walked in and said "good morning" to which I didn't reply. I didn't even register that she had said anything.

She turned around to me, "you okay, baby? Did you not sleep well?" She asked.

This time I heard her. "Yeah." My voice matched how I was feeling --shitty.

Her eyes turned wide. "You sound awful, Casey." She walked up to me and placed her hand on my head to check my temperature. I've had a chill since last night, I felt like I was freezing. "Oh my god, you're burning up." She pulled her hand away quickly. "Maybe you should stay home."

"I'm fine, mom."

"But Casey-"

"Just drop it!" I snapped and held my head. I didn't mean to do that.

She stopped talking and looked at me nervously. I never lose my cool, ever. I was always too afraid to talk back to my parents. I mean, it's not like they would hit me or anything. I just never had a reason to.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I'm just tired. I'm fine, I swear."

My mom nodded slowly. "If you need me to pick you up from school, call me. Do you understand?" She said assertively.

I gave her a low energy smile, "Yes."

She smiled at me and ruffled my hair. "You kids are gonna be the end of me." She kissed my head then went back to her office.

My sister, noticing my mood walked into the kitchen cautiously. "You okay?" She asked while grabbing a granola bar.

"Fantastic."

"Maybe you should-"

I stopped her before she could finish that sentence.

"If one more person tells me to stay home I will throw something. Probably this muffin." I ate a piece of it then regretted doing so. Whatever appetite change I had before was gone. I felt too uneasy to eat now.

She rolled her eyes. "But staying home is good." She argued.

"Not when you have a physics test third period."

"Fine. Ya know, for a kid who says he doesn't care about school you're very academically inclined."

"Well, I try to be."

"Goodbye kids, see you later." My dad did a double take when looking at me. "Damn kid, you look like hell. Maybe you should-"

"Don't say stay home. He'll throw his muffin." Jessie warned.

I grinned lightly.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later then. Love you." He said and closed the door.

I'm grateful for how much my family cares but it felt overbearing right now. Which sounds dumb, I know. But it just feel like the walls were closing in on me.

"Knock, Knock." I heard Jake say as he opened the front door.

"Ya know, saying knock knock just doesn't give off the same response as actually knocking." Jessie said while grabbing both of our bags.

"Yeah, but I didn't feel like knocking. I have sensitive knuckles." He grinned stupidly.

My body suddenly switched temperatures as before I felt like I was freezing, but now I felt like I was on fire. I decided to not say anything and instead push past Jake, grab my bag from Jessie and walk straight out the door. I needed the air, inside it felt like I couldn't breathe, like the world was caving in on me.

"What's wrong with him?" I heard Jake ask behind me as he and Jessie followed me outside.

"Your guess is as good as mine." She shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I don't know why but I just woke up feeling pissed off, and not your normal tired pissed off but seriously angry. I didn't wanna accidently snap at them so I walked ahead.

"Does he look taller to you?" Jessie asked Jacob quietly behind me.

"Huh, yeah. Now that you mention it." Jake responded.

I began to walk faster.

\---

All throughout the school day the headaches became more and more intense. So bad, I could barely focus. Which was hard enough because of my stupid ADHD. Everything just seemed to be working against me. What have I done to deserve this?

Oh, and remember that Physics test I mentioned earlier? Yeah well, let's just say I'm pretty sure I bombed it. My brain felt so clouded I blanked on most of the questions, though Embry did try and sauce me some of the answers when the teacher wasn't looking. Which I was grateful for.

But things started to take a turn once I finally got to gym class. That was where I let out all of my pent up anger. And, it felt good, it felt so good. It was dodge ball time and these freshman were going down.

I whipped the ball and smacked a kid in the gut which made him tumble to the ground. Head shots weren't allowed and I'm beginning to see why.

"Whoa man, you killed him." Quil laughed. "Since when could you throw like that?"

I laughed with him. "Since now, Ateara." I threw another ball and tagged one of the big baddies of La Push High. "Whoops."

"Oh shit." Quil said shocked, then laughed as the kid who was a whole foot taller than me storm off to the bleachers. He's one of the infamous assholes at this school, him and his whole group like to pick on anyone smaller than them. So I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to pelt him.

"Oh, we're so fucking dead." He laughed.

The bullie's friends then turned to us with anger apparent on their faces. Maybe that wasn't my smartest move, eh it is what it is. "Fight me, bitches." I mumbled under my breath.

"You're a fucking madman!" Quil joked.

"Language, Ateara!" Ms. Johnson corrected.

I laughed. I haven't felt this good in days.

That was when we all lined up for the final game and I was ready. I was so ready.

The coach blew the whistle and it was on.

I threw the first ball unexpectedly and tagged one of the remaining kids. It still amazed me how I haven't gotten out yet. I mean, I'm good at dodge ball, but I'm not like these kids. For these kids all they have is sports, so to be beaten by an amateur junior must've been pretty embarrassing.

"Ah, my ass!" Quil yelped as one of the bullies pelted him with the ball.

"Quil!"

He fell to the ground dramatically. "Avenge me, brother!"

"Quil, off the court!" Ms. Johnson rolled her eyes with a laugh. She was pretty chill for a gym teacher.

That angry feeling spiked again and I aimed directly at the kid who tagged Quil and well, I got him.

I then watched a ball fly from behind me and tag another person on the opposing team. I turned to see that is was Paul Lahote. Wow, didn't see that one coming. I didn't even realize he was on my team, I had been so focused on winning I blocked everyone else out.

"Nice arm." He said while whipping a ball at another kid.

"Uh, thanks. You too." I responded awkwardly. He actually talked to me? Wow, I can't say I was expecting that.

"Casey! Casey! Casey!" Quil cheered from the stands. He's my hype man. Everyone needs someone like Quil in their lives.

"Paul, Paul, he's our man if he can't win, great!" Jared Cameron yelled out to his friend which made Paul roll his eyes.

"Why do you have to be like that?" He questioned his friend.

"Why do you have to be such a loser?" Jared responded with a smile. They bickered like a married couple and somehow it made me feel less afraid of them. They acted like my friends and I. I guess we're all just goofy little twelve year olds on the inside.

I dodged and weaved and threw the ball around with ease. I've never felt so alive.

One of the Seniors tried to make a cheap shot and I caught the ball mid air with one hand. And that was when it happened, I had won.

"Nice one, bro!" Jared fist bumped Paul then turned to me. "You too, dude." Jared put his hand out for me to shake, which I found to be odd but I shook his hand anyway. He turned to Paul with a worrying look on his face. Almost like that simple contact just let him in on the biggest secret in the world. I can't say that it wasn't a bit unnerving.

"Uh, thanks." Why do I have to be so awkward?

Quil ran and practically tackled me with enthusiasm, which made me forget about the conversation that had just occurred. "Holy shit, Case you won!" Quil jumped around excitedly.

"Ateara!" Ms. Johnson reprimanded again.

"Sorry." He turned back to me. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know, man. But that felt awesome!" I said cheerfully.

"With an arm like that you should join the baseball team." Quil said.

I looked over his shoulder to the sporty kids I beat and saw them glaring holes into me. "Yeah, no. That'll be a hard pass from me."

The rest of the day went by nicely, ever since that gym class I felt great. Much better than I did this morning. If only things would stay this good.

\---

"You should eat something." Embry advised, pushing an apple towards me.

"It's ok, Em. I'll eat when I get home." I reassured him.

"I'm worried, Casey. You've been off all week." He continued.

"Oh, please. He's just being dramatic." Quil tried to lighten the mood. "He dominated the baseball team in dodgeball today."

"So, that's why they're all staring at you?" Jake said with a proud smirk on his face.

"Even Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron talked to him after he won." Quil continued.

"Egotistical assholes." Jessie muttered.

"Really? The exclusive cult is interested in Casey Apha?" Embry teased. "Better run while you still can."

"They're not so bad." I brushed off his comment. "They're nothing compared to those pricks over there." I motioned towards the group of boys sitting at the farthest picnic table. The ones I dominated in gym. They're also known as class A assholes.

"Yeah, sore losers!" Quil yelled at them.

"Quil, why?" Embry hissed. "You don't harass the big scary Jock's." Embry whispered harshly.

Quil shrugged. "Pfft, I'm not scared of them." He crossed his arms confidently.

Famous last words.

An apple suddenly pelted him in the head, making Quil fall out of his seat.

"Quil!" We all jumped up.

"Ow!" He groaned and wiped some of the mush off of his face. "Ew, gross."

"Nice catch, Ateara!" One of the boys laughed. I'm guessing the one who threw it.

"Asshole!" Jessie yelled. They laughed and I had just about lost it.

I stood up so fast my head spun. I got ready to March over there. They do not get to mess with my friends.

"Casey, I don't think that's a good idea." Embry stood in front of me.

"I think you should listen to your boyfriend." One of them yelled back.

My face flushed and Embry looked embarrassed. Oh, I'm gonna kill them.

"Sorry, Em. Someone's gotta teach them some manners." I told him.

"And it's gotta be you?" He countered.

"Yup." I turned away.

"Casey, no!" Embry spun me back around then quickly pulled his hand away from me. "Jesus christ, Case! You're a fricken furnace." He said with worry.

"You know what? Fine, I won't go alone. I need an intimidation factor." I disregarded his other comment. "Jessie, c'mon I need your vast knowledge of curse words to make their heads spin."

She nodded with a smirk and skipped over to me.

I turned back to Embry. "It'll be fine. I'm not gonna fight them. Just gonna tell them to piss off." I reassured him.

"If you get punched, I'm saying I told you so." He said and turned back to our other friends.

Jacob was trying to make Quil sit up. "Can you see okay? How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked the boy.

"Fifty-two." Quil said trying not to laugh at his friends serious worry.

"Pfft, you're fine, dipshit." Jacob said pulling Quil to his feet to which Quil responded by falling down again.

"Oh, the agony!" He joked. Quil can be such an ass sometimes.

I stormed up to the group of dicks and gave them a piece of my mind. Fear wasn't an option. "What's your problem?!" I growled.

"He got a bit cocky, had to take him down a peg." The tall one said.

"It was just a stupid game. Grow up!" I yelled.

They laughed at my anger which only pissed me off more.

"Go cry to your mommy, or someone that cares." One rolled his eyes as he tossed a base ball up and down in his hand. How original.

"What is wrong with you people? Are you mentally deficient?" Jessie insulted.   
"Get your head out of your asses and stay away from my friends!"

"Ooh, we've got a fiesty one boys." One whistled.

"You do not get to talk to me like that!" Jessie said angrily.

"I do what I want." He then looked Jessie up and down. "Hm, maybe I'll do you next."

"Oh, I think the fuck not!" Jessie swore.

I stood in front of my sister protectively, I felt something burn in me that I've never felt before. A new found anger I was about to unleash. "Don't you ever talk to my sister like that again! Do you hear me?" I poked the guy in the chest and I saw red in his eyes.

"Don't you touch me, dipshit!"

"Then leave us alone!"

"Sure, I'll leave ya alone right after I rearrange your face!" He yelled and threw a punch. Yet, just as quick as he threw it I caught it. I never even looked to see where his fist was, I just knew. The boy looked horrified as I started to crush his hand and he began to yelp. "Whoa, whoa, hey! That's my throwing hand!"

"Leave me and my friends alone." I said again, this time in a low threatening growl. A voice I never knew I had.

"Okay, okay! Let go!" He said.

I hesitated.

"Casey, let go!" Jessie gave me a fearful look and suddenly I was snapped back to the reality of what I was doing.

I let go quickly. The boy and his friends backing up. "You fucking psychopath!" The boy held his hand and ran off. His friends eyed me warily as they followed him.

I turned to Jessie who still looked at me puzzled. "What just happened?" She asked. "How did you do that?"

"I-I don't know. I-I just . . ." My words felt like they were falling out of my mouth, they were uncontrolled and sloppy.

Jessie's eyes suddenly widened. "Whoa, are you okay? You look really pale." Jessie questioned.

The world around me started to spin. "Jessie, I-I . . . I don't feel good." I whimpered as things suddenly began to get darker.

"Case? Casey?" She grabbed me as my legs suddenly gave out. "Guys! Guys help! Casey!"

**_Well then! That happened! Drama, we needed some drama. Don't ya love to see bullies get their asses handed to them? I know I do. Poor Casey tho, he really feels like shit and he'll begin to understand why in the next chapter ;)_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	5. Chapter Five: Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (slight body horror)

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[Staring back at me wasn't the normal doofy looking Casey Apha, oh no, it was a fucking wolf. A dark red and brown wolf.]_

__

~~~  
  


After the scene I made during lunch I was forced to stay home the next day, though I wasn't really complaining. It felt like an elephant was sitting on me because my whole body hurt like a son of a bitch.

I laid in bed with my eyes closed. I couldn't sleep, I felt too hot and uncomfortable. So instead I just relished the peace and quiet in the house.

The sound of someone coming into my room made me open my eyes. "Hey baby, how do you feel?"

"Like I'm on cloud nine." I responded.

"I'm sorry, hun. Here," she handed me a box. "Luna made some cookies to make you feel better." 

I smiled. "Oh, Luna. What did I do to deserve you?" I mumbled.

"She was all worried about you. Both of your sisters were." My mom said truthfully.

"I scared the hell out of Jessie." I realized. I felt bad. I literally collapsed in her arms. I can't imagine how terrifying that must've been.

"You scared the hell out of all of us." My mom corrected. Her use of 'hell' surprised me. "When Jake and the others brought you home like that I didn't know what to do." She looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm sure whatever sickness I have will go away soon."

She wiped her eyes and stood up, muttering something in the process. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"What?" I asked, the rhythmic drumming in my head made my hard to hear.

"I'm sure it will." She gave me a reassuring smile. She then looked at her watch. "Oh, shoot. I have to go in for a meeting, the hospital is short on staff. Of all days too." She grimaced. "Maybe I should call in sick."

"No, mom. Go to work. I'll be fine." I reassured her.

"Well, you're not staying home alone while you're like this. You're Uncle said he'd keep an eye on you while I was out. I don't need you fainting while I'm at work."

The idea didn't sound half bad. I always enjoyed my time with Uncle Billy. He was always a good person to talk to.

"I'll be fine, mom. I promise."

She sighed. "Alright, honey. I'll see you later." She kissed my forehead and left.

I sat up slowly in my bed, but soon regretted it after the head rush I got. "Why?!" I whined then sighed. I just gotta go slow. One step at a time. I'm suddenly glad my room wasn't upstairs.

I finally got myself to stand and it was excruciating. Every step felt like I was walking on knives. "Why, ow, does, ow, this, ow, hurt so bad? Ow, ow, ow." I complained as I made my way down the bedroom hallway.

"Pain is funny like that." I looked up to see my uncle smiling at my goofiness. He looked the same as I saw him last. My uncle has diabetes and at some point he lost his ability to walk.

"You're telling me." I took another step towards him. "Ow."

He gave me a knowing look. "You should be in bed."

"But I wanted to watch tv."

He smirked. "Fine. But don't tell your mother I let you out of bed." He winked.

"My lips are sealed." I smiled. And this was why I loved Uncle Billy.

I finally made it to the couch and I turned on the TV. "So, what are we watching?" He asked.

"The Lost Boys. An actually good vampire movie, not any of that lovey dovey crap." I joked.

He laughed like he knew something I didn't. "Nice choice."

"Thank you. I do pride myself on my excellent movie taste."

And that was how I spent most of the day, until I suddenly received a call from a close friend.

"I have a feeling you should probably answer that." Billy said.

"Me too." I pulled the phone out of my pocket and saw that it was none other than the wonderful Embry Call.

"Hey, Em." My voice sounded a bit off but I was hoping he wouldn't pick up on it.

"Bro, you still sound awful." Well, fuck.

"Yeah, it's slow going over at the Apha house. How's school? Did I miss much?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll fill you in later. Trust me, you're not missing much other than Quil's attempt to cheer Jessie up. It's not pretty." He let out a forced laugh.

"Oh, I can imagine."

"It feels wrong not having you at school. A piece of the puzzle is missing."

"Yeah, I know. It feels weird not being there with you guys."

There was a pause for a moment. "Alright, let's cut the shit and get to the real reason I called you. Are you okay? What happened? And, don't lie to me." He suddenly spoke seriously. The worry evident in his voice made that tight sensation appear in my chest again.

"I-I don't know, Em. I honestly don't know. One minute I'm on top of the world, the next everything goes dark. I wish I had an answer, it would make my life a lot easier."

I heard him sigh. He knew I was telling the truth. "I care about you, Case. You're my best friend. You can't blame me for worrying." This time hearing him say those words the way he did made my heart jump. But, why? This doesn't make any sense. This feeling isn't normal. I don't feel this way around Quil, but then again Quil is Quil. But that's besides the point. I just don't understand, or maybe I just don't want to understand. I'm beginning to think it's the ladder. Well, fuck.

"I-I know. I know. But, it'll be fine. I know it will, it always turns out fine."

I wish it were that easy.

\---

"Lunch time, you hungry?" Billy paused the show we were watching— old SNL reruns.

"No, but water sure does sound good." I said and stood up, stretching out all of my sore limbs in the process. As much as it hurt to stand in a way it also felt good. Like my muscles felt condensed and standing up gave them the space they needed to breathe. Wow, that sounded really weird.

"Water is a smart idea." He agreed. "Do you mind grabbing me a glass, I can't exactly reach the top shelf." He gestured to his wheel chair.

"Sure thing, Uncle." I said shuffling lazily into the kitchen.

I reached up to grab a glass when suddenly a pain emitted from my chest. "Ah!" I winced, and put the glass down before I broke it.

"Are you okay?" I heard Billy call. I heard the sound of his wheel chair squeaking in the other room.

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath in an attempt to compose myself. "That was weird." I mumbled to myself and grabbed the glass again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fi-aaah!" I let out another yell as this wave of pain was more intense than the last one. It made me double over, and drop the cup I was holding. The sound of glass shattering echoed in the kitchen.

"Casey? Are you alright?" My uncle wheeled into the kitchen hurriedly.

He found me laying on the ground in a fetal position.   
I let out another scream. Everything burned. "Ah, it burns!"

"Oh, god Casey! It's true." He fumbled to pull out his phone. "Sam? Yeah, it's happening. Hurry, I don't know how much time he has."

I pulled myself to my feet, holding onto the counter for support. "What's happening to me?" My voice sounded even worse than before.

"It'll all be over soon. I promise." Uncle Billy said.

The strong urge to throw up consumed me as I pushed myself outside. I puked in the bushes. "Awe, man. Mom's not gonna be happy about this." I said in between spews. The nausea was then replaced by awful cramping all across my body.

I grunted in pain and landed somewhere in the backyard, which was connected to the Black's lawn too.

Uncle rolled outside behind me. "They should be here by now." He worried.

"Who?!" I growled, then that's when the worst of it hit. The first thing that came to mind was Rice crispy treats because all I could hear was _snap, crackle, pop!_  
My bones had started to rearrange themselves. My knees snapping backwards and my spine popped.

Voices caught me off guard, and they were oddly familiar. "Hey, kid. It's gonna be okay." It was Paul Lahote along with Jared Cameron.

"Ah, wh-what fuck is happening?!" I said through gritted teeth.

"It's gonna be okay. Just take some deep breaths. In and out." Jared instructed.

"He's not giving birth, dumbass." Paul smacked him.

"It's still good advice, asshole."

To say the least, I was utterly confused. Could things get any weirder? Yes, yes the could. Sam Uley appeared behind the boys. "Back up! He's gonna phase." He warned and once again I was left alone. But not for long. Phase?

That was when I felt free. Free of pain, free of worry. My body felt weightless as I sprung from the ground. It was finally over, the pain was gone. All of it.

I looked up and saw Sam Uley and his gang staring at me with smiles on their faces.

"Wow, he's so calm about this. I thought he was gonna run for sure." Jared said. "I mean when I found out I could turn into a huge ass wolf I bolted as far as I could." Jared continued.

"Shut up!" Paul hissed. "Let him figure it out for himself."

I tilted my head at them and tried to speak yet, only a weird bark of sorts came out. I jumped at the odd sound. And that was when I realized what had happened. I raced to something that could show me my reflection and found a nearby puddle.  
I looked at the reflection resonating off of the water with disbelief. No this can't be right. Staring back at me wasn't the normal doofy looking Casey Apha, oh no, it was a fucking wolf. A dark red and brown wolf.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

Now being a normal human being I think you can understand the confusion and pure terror of realizing you just turned into a huge fucking wolf. So, with that being said I did the only logical thing you do in a situation like this. I freaked the fuck out.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_Aaaaaah, he finally phased! Damn, that took a while. I tried to make it more realistic when he found out. Like what normal human being finds out their a wolf and is off the back ok with it? Ya know before freaking out a little first. I mean, no one. The thought of being a werewolf is nice but if I suddenly found out I was one I think I would still freak out at first lmao._ **

**_And oh, how did you guys like Casey and Embry's chat on the phone? I thought it was cute. Awe man, I just realized Embry's not gonna be happy about Casey's changes. But don't worry, as Casey said, 'it'll turn out fine.'_ **

**_Hope you liked it and thank you for reading my lovelies._ **


	6. Chapter Six: Run

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_['Oh my god! Oh my god. Oh my god!' I said to myself as I ran. 'I'm dreaming, no I've been drugged. Yeah, that's it. I'm hallucinating.']_

(I edited this please don't just steal it)  
  


~~~

I ran as fast as I could, bobbing and weaving in between the trees. I know this forest like the back of my hand. But the problem was I had no idea where I was going, all I knew is that I just had to go.

'Oh my god! Oh my god. Oh my god!' I said to myself as I ran. 'I'm dreaming, no I've been drugged. Yeah, that's it. I'm hallucinating.'

'You're not drugged.' A silver wolf appeared next to me.

'What the fuck?!' I exclaimed and ran faster.

'Calm down, it's not as bad as you think. Kinda awesome actually.' Jared continued.

'Get out of my head!' I ordered them and continued to bolt. I realized now where my body was taking me. I was running to the beach, the place that made me feel calm.

'Cut him off!' A new voice entered my head. 'No one can see him.'

And with those words I suddenly stopped. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hmph!' A dark grey wolf crashed into me. I saw stars for a moment and growled. 'Sorry, dude.' Jared apologized. I knew it was him because of his voice. It was so strange, I could hear their voices in my head and they were all the same volume, yet at the same time I could tell exactly where each voice was coming from.

'Give him some space.' An authoritative voice ordered.  
A black wolf appeared from behind the others. He was much bigger than them and seemed to be more experienced too. Just the way he confidently walked told me that.

I backed away from them, still feeling unbelievably freaked out. 'Oh this can not be happening.' I said to myself.

'Relax, Casey. We're not gonna hurt you.' The black wolf, who I now figured out to be Sam said.

'How do you know my name?' I growled.

'We kinda told him. You were showing all of the signs for a shift.' Jared explained.

'A shift? What movie did I just hop into?' I sat down.

'This isn't a movie, kid. It's all real.' Paul said.

'Oh, god. I'm going crazy. I've lost my damn mind.' I thought to myself, but soon realized that everyone in front of me heard it. I could tell by the way Paul rolled his eyes.

'I know this might seem pretty nuts, but I assure you, you're not going crazy.' Sam tried to comfort me. "We're gonna help you figure this out. We've all been through it, just know you're not in this alone."

I found it funny that they were talking about this like it was something normal, not turning into a bear-sized wolf. But Sam's words were reassuring and had calmed me down a tiny bit. I didn't feel like running anymore. I tried to take a deep breath and looked back up at them. 'Can anyone explain what the fuck just happened?'

They each laughed, even Sam. 'Yes, follow us. We'll get you back into your human form and we'll move on from there.'

Turning back to a person totally escaped my thoughts. But, quite frankly my thoughts were beyond jumbled at the moment.

I followed them through the woods and there in a clearing was a house. 'This is Sam's place.' Jared clarified.

'Head quarters.' Paul added. 'This is where we regroup.'

'Interesting.'

A woman came out of the house with a smile on her face, which had distinct scars across it. It alarmed me, and made me wonder how that could've happened. But even with the scars she was beautiful nonetheless. I mean, I have a fee scars and I think I'm beautiful. Who am I kidding? I'm insecure as all hell.

Sam turned to me. 'The result of a young wolf learning to control his temper.' He said sadly and I knew he was talking about himself.

"Hi, boys!" She said happily petting Sam. She looked at us like puppies. The interaction almost reminded me of Luna. If she found out about what I am this is how she would treat me. She was unafraid.

'Who's that?' I asked.

'My Fiancé.' Sam seemed to smile under her touch. It was adorable.

"Who do we have here, a newbie I see?" She looked at me with a friendly smile. "I'm Emily."

Sam suddenly shifted from Wolf to human in a matter of seconds. The others followed suit. They were only wearing shorts, somehow I expected to see them naked. Not that I wanted to see that, I just thought that since it happens in the movies.

They then turned their attention back to me. "Okay, your turn." Paul smiled.

Fuck.

"You need to find your anchor, something that can pull you back and calm you down." Sam explained.

"My anchor is food." Jared laughed.

I snorted, then closed my eyes to think. What is something that calms me down? A vision of waves folding on the sand appeared and I felt myself begin to relax, but then the scene morphed into something else. The moment I fell on top of Embry and all I could think of was his brown eyes. I felt my whole body relax at the thought. I wish I could stare into them forever.

"Well done, kid." Paul padded me on the back, which made my eyes spring open. My whole body felt like it had been pulled apart and put back together again.

I looked down at my hands and was relieved to see that I was human, yet at the same time I couldn't escape the idea of being a wolf again, but this time I wouldn't be as freaked out.

"You did good. Here." Sam handed me some pants. I didn't even realize I was naked and felt my face become hot.

"Thanks." I grabbed them quickly and attempted to put them on while I was still sitting. I somehow succeeded.

"Don't worry, you'll learn to phase and keep your clothes on eventually." Sam said.

"C'mon, let's get you to you feet." Jared and Paul hoisted me up.

I winced as my muscles didn't like the idea of me standing.

"Don't worry, dude. It won't hurt after you shift a few more times." Jared said as he and Paul held me up.

I groaned at the idea of being torn apart again. Let's just say it didn't sound pleasant.

"C'mon, let's get you inside. It looks like it's gonna rain." Emily advised with a motherly look on her face. She reminded me of my mom, but younger.

They brought me inside and placed me on the couch. Sitting on something that wasn't the ground felt nice.   
Every time I moved I felt a stinging sensation all throughout my body, yet it was nothing compared to before. This was much more bearable.

"So, you have shifted." Sam announced slowly, almost like he was trying not to push me over the edge. Which I think was virtually impossible at this point.

I nodded but didn't really know what to say to that. I wouldn't make any direct eye contact with anyone and I just fiddled with my hands, it's a nervous habit of mine.

"He's too quiet." Jared whispered to Paul. Though, I could hear him like he had said it right to my face.

I sighed and decided to just cut to the chase. "So what, I'm a werewolf now?" I questioned.

Paul and Jared laughed.

"Well, no. You're a shape shifter. Werewolves have less control and we aren't connected to the moon." Sam explained. He seemed to let me ask the questions like he was letting me pace myself. I appreciated it.

"Huh, interesting." I commented. "Am I supposed to feel like I was put in a blender?"

Sam chuckled at what seemed to be a memory. "Yes, the first time is always the worst time. It won't hurt after you've phased a few more times."

"Huh, well that's good to know." I said sarcastically. "Oh, I have another good question. Why me? Why did this happen to me?"

Sam shrugged. "Do you remember the stories of our ancestors? The ones about Taha Aki, and the spirit warriors? Well, it's true. Our ancestors developed the ability to shape-shift to protect our people from . . ." He seemed to be looking for the right word.

"The cold ones." I remembered the stories uncle Billy told us during the bonfires. I had totally forgotten about it until now.

"Yes, or in other words vampires." Sam continued.

"Stupid blood suckers." Paul muttered.

"Vampires? They're real?" I asked.

"Is that so hard to believe considering you just turned into a wolf an hour ago?" Emily countered with a smirk.

"Fair enough. So what, I had the gene and randomly phased?"

"Well, that's the thing. When a wolf shifts it's because they were in close contact with a vampire and the only ones who were around here were the Cullens. At least, that we know of." Sam continued.

"Wait, the Cullens? Like Bella Swan's ex?" I widened my eyes. The Cullens have recently disappeared from Forks, that's why Bella hangs out with Jacob so much. She seems healthier without them, yet at the same time utterly broken.

"Yes, those Cullens." Sam rolled his eyes. They all didn't seem to like the idea of them. "There is a treaty, we are at peace unless they kill a human, go onto La Push, or turn anyone. Simple as that." He continued. "And, of course one side cannot out the secrets of the other." He added.

"Where are they now?"

"That is unknown. But it's safer without them here."

"Good riddance." Jared snarked.

"Sounds like you really don't like these guys." I pointed out.

"We don't." Paul crossed his arms. "All they do is cause problems."

"Because they're vampires?"

"Well, yeah." Jared said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So, what do they have to do with us?" The world us sounded weird to say, I was apart of whatever this was now, with them. I was one of them.

"We protect La Push from these invaders. We keep the people safe. And, now you'll help us."

"Me? I can barely walk straight let alone fight some vampires in a form I never knew I had."

Sam gave me a look of understanding. "I won't pile this on you right now. Everything is still new to you, but trust me this is a good thing."

"Yeah! We get to kick ass and look hot while we're doing it." Jared smiled.

I laughed. I felt less afraid of them, actually that fear had basically disappeared once I entered the house.

"Now, Casey, there's one last thing we have to go over. There are some rules you have to follow to keep the pack and the people around you safe." Sam began. I knew that whatever he was about to say I would highly disapprove of.

"Why do I feel like I'm not gonna like these rules?"

"Because you won't. You have to keep this secret, whatever it takes no one can know. Not your friends, not your family, no one. Well, your mother already knows, but you can't tell Jacob or your sisters. It could put them in jeopardy. The last thing we need is for a human to get hurt because of something that could've been prevented." He looked sad, like he was remembering something. I suddenly looked to Emily and figured he was talking about her.

I groaned, Jessie was going to hate me. "So, I literally have to ignore my friends like a complete asshole? Yeah, that sounds great." I winced at the thought of them all staring with disappointment. I'm used to that from Jessie, I mean, she's my sister, getting an annoyed look from her was normal. But what about Quil, Jacob and . . . Oh my god, what about Embry? I can't just not talk to them, I can't.

"I'm sorry, Casey. It sucks, it truly does. But I promise it's in your best interest, and theirs." Sam looked sad for me.

"It's okay bro, you got us now!" Jared tried to sound optimistic.

"Oh please, like that's a good thing." Paul sneered.

"It is a good thing. We're great friends." Jared said. Everyone gave him a 'really' look. "Okay, fine. I'll shut up. Sorry for trying to look at the bright side."

Everyone turned back to me. "I-I just don't get how I'm supposed to do that." I said truthfully.

Sam stood up and put a supportive hand on my shoulder. "We'll take it one day at a time, okay? Don't try to over think it, it'll make your brain hurt. Trust me, I know all too well." He laughed.

I sighed. Well, shit.

\---

I shifted back and forth the next few days to try and get the swing of it. The pain did go away after phasing a few times, but never as bad as the first time.

During my training I began to get closer to my pack, or my new found brothers. It felt good knowing they were there for me, but that didn't make me miss my friends any less.

Every time Jessie tried to ask me what happened I changed the subject and moved on. It was hard, especially since one of your best friends lives in the same house as you and the other is your neighbor. It was stressful to say the least.

But, what I was dreading the most was returning back to school. I don't want to see the confused, sad looks my friends will give me when they realize I'm not gonna sit at the same lunch table anymore. I would be lying if I said the thought wasn't saddening. Why must everything be so fucking difficult?

'Focus, Casey. You're losing your edge." Sam said as he watched me and the boys duel it out.

'Well, two vs one doesn't seem fair.' I said.

'Sometimes fights aren't gonna be in your favor, so you've gotta be prepared for that.'

'What's wrong, Casey? Can't handle these guns?" Jared joked and lunged at me. I dodged quickly. I was beginning to get the hang of moving on four legs instead of two. It felt oddly natural.

"Cut it out, Jare." Paul hissed. 'We all know I'm stronger than you.'

'Oh, yeah? Bring it, bucko!' Jared tackled Paul and I couldn't help but laugh. At least I wasn't the only one with focus issues now.

"Jared, Paul, focus! Casey is the enemy in this fight." Sam redirected.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter." I said as the two wolves turned back to me.

"We'll see about that." Paul said smugly and pounced on me. I kicked him off and Jared took his place. I know this may seem brutal, but in reality I was having a blast. I continued to dodge and tackle and maul for the rest of training. Ya know, the usual wolf stuff. And I have to say even though I'm new to this I'm getting the hang of it pretty quickly.

Any bruises or bites we got during training healed in a matter of minutes. It was honestly pretty great, though getting hurt was never a thing that happened anyway.

I wish school could go as well as training. I wish I could actually be myself and not have to worry about anything, but I have to worry. I have to be cautious, or someone might get hurt. And it most likely won't be me.

My temper has gotten more manageable, I was a more mellow person before I phased so once I started to get the hang of shifting I began to get my old personality back. Though one big thing that changed was my appearance, I was taller, more muscular and slightly more tan. Though, I'm still noticeably lighter than most people on the Rez since my dad is extremely Irish. Also, my body temperature is super high as it typically runs at around 108 degrees. So, to a regular human being I'm a living space heater. I've gotten used to not wearing a shirt as wearing one makes me feel like I'm melting. But sadly, shirts are a must for school. Plus, I don't think I'd want any more eyes on me.

Oh man, I was not looking forward to school. 

**Hey guys! How did you like it? Also, the picture up above is a photo I edited myself, pretty cool huh? I figured Casey would look like Jacob a bit since they were related, but obviously they have their differences.**

**I'm so sad and excited to write the next chapter. It's definitely gonna be a pivotal moment for Casey. Baby boy is just so confused lmao. But he won't be soon, let me tell you that. ;)**

**Well, thank you for reading my lovelies!!**


	7. Chapter Seven: Imprinting

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[Those eyes. Those deep brown eyes made every inch of me feel like I was floating. Yet, at the same time they were the very gravity that kept me on the ground.]_

__

~~~

The nightmares changed. They were no longer just wolves attacking the people I cared about, oh no, I was now the wolf. But the amount of nightmares like that have diminished, which is good, I guess. Maybe I'm coming to terms with it, or well, maybe I'm not.

My alarm startled me awake. Normally I'd already be up by now as I'd usually be training or on patrol. But Sam let me sleep in today. He said I'll need all the rest I can get for school. I think he knew that today was going to be hard considering I had to literally forget my old life and start anew. I have been dodging calls, not answering messages, and blatantly ignoring my friends like a major asshole. Up until this point it's been easy to avoid them, but that was only because I wasn't in school for the past week. Today would be the real challenge and I was terrified.

I got up quickly. Getting ready as fast as I could to try and get breakfast before Jessie did. I wanted to minimize interaction as much as possible, that way I didn't get cornered and have her scream at me for being a jerk. Now, was this the best idea? No, definitely not, but it was the only idea my three braincells could come up with.

I snatched an apple off of the table and rushed for the door. I went to grab the handle and that's when I was caught.

"What are you doing? We still have twenty minutes before we have to leave." It was Jessie, and she sounded annoyed.

"So close, yet so far." I mumbled to myself and turned around. "I-I had to-"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't lie to me. Just go. I'd rather you not say anything to me than lie to me." She said truthfully. "I hope whatever phase you're going through passes because I don't like this secretive Casey."

"I went through a phase alright." I muttered.

"What?"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay. I-I just have to go." I opened the door.

"Fine." She said with a hollow voice. It broke my heart. I wish I could just tell her everything. I wanted to, I wanted to so badly.

I was glad to see Paul and Jared waiting for me outside. They were there to walk to school with me, so that I didn't have to worry about being alone with Jessie and Jacob.

"Sup, dude! Ready for school?" Jared asked. I wish I had his enthusiasm.

"Not in the slightest." I said.

Paul rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Me either." He yawned.

That's when I heard a door close and turned to see Jacob leaving his house. He looked at me then to my friends with pure disbelief.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He said.

"We should probably go." Jared suggested.

"Agreed." Paul said and pulled me along because my legs had turned to stone. The amount of guilt going through me made me freeze.

"C'mon, Case." Jared also pulled me and it finally snapped me from my fear filled trance.

"I feel like my fight or flight senses are kicking in." I stated as they tugged me along.

"That's normal, the same thing happened to me when I first went back to school." Jared explained. "It sucked not talking to my old friends like I used to."

"I was a loner before I phased." Paul told us.

"A better term for it would be that you had no friends." Jared joked.

"No, I chose to be alone. I didn't feel like dealing with everyone's bullshit." Paul explained, though I think he was half lying.

As my new pack continued to banter I turned back to still see Jacob staring at me, almost like he was in shock. That's when he shook his head disapprovingly and went inside my house.

"Jessie, I gotta talk to you." I heard him say with my enhanced hearing. The idea of him telling Jessie about what he'd just witnessed wasn't pretty so I began to walk faster.

As I walked into school I got stared at by everyone. Even the teachers did a double take when noticing my new look. I hated it. Did I mention I hate being the center of attention? But that wasn't even the worst of it. All throughout the day I ignored my friends. Jacob and Quil were the easiest to dodge while Jessie and Embry were almost impossible.

In Physics, I asked the teacher for the work I missed and sat in the total opposite side of the room from Embry. Paul also happened to be in the class so I sat with him. I could feel the confusion and hurt radiate off of Embry and it hurt me. I could feel him staring holes into my face all class, but I never looked at him. Not once. I couldn't bring myself to see his face. I can deal with the disappointment from Jacob, but not him, not my best friend.

"Do you know the answer to number six?" I asked Paul trying to distract myself.

"Yeah, here." He passed me a finished paper.

My jaw dropped at how neat and correct his work was.

"What?" He asked annoyed.

"You understand Physics." I said amazed.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not that hard. All you've gotta do is put these numbers into this formula and viola, easy."

"Bro, you're actually smart. And here I thought you were just a dumb jock." I smirked. Between, Jared, Paul and I, we'd normally take the piss out on each other quite a lot. So, my comebacks have become quite extraordinary since joining the pack.

He gave me a glare. "Appearances can be deceiving, dumbass. Now do you want the work or not?" He began to pull the paper away from me.

"No, no! I want it! I can't do Physics for shit."

He gave me a smug look. "Thought so."

The bell rang and I bolted out of the room. I couldn't face Embry. I knew that if I stopped even for a moment he'd catch up to me, and quite frankly I don't think my wolf could handle that right now.

During Math class Jacob stared me down. He decided to sit right behind me too, which didn't help my anxiety levels. I tried to ignore him, but the hairs on the back of my neck lead me to believe that he was glaring at me. And, it definitely got worse once he began kicking my seat. He wasn't hitting it hard, but instead he just tapped it lightly with his foot. And honestly that was even more distracting.

"Can you quit it?" I hissed at him.

He narrowed his eyes and kicked my seat again. "What? So now, you decide to talk to me?" He snapped.

I sighed. "It's not like that, okay? Now could you stop kicking my seat?"

"Could you stop acting like a complete douchebag?"

I sighed again and turned back to my work. I wasn't gonna argue with him, yes I was being a jerk but he didn't have to annoy the shit out of me. That's not a great solution either. But then again, who am I to say?

"Fine." He grouched. "We just miss you, dipshit."

"I miss you guys too, asshole." I said to myself, but I secretly hoped he could hear it. I got the feeling he did because he stopped kicking my seat after that and I could feel the glaring turn into something else, worry maybe. I don't blame him. I don't blame any of them.

Art class was my biggest worry. Both Jessie and Embry would be there, but against all odds Jared was in that class too. It's crazy to think I never noticed both Paul and Jared in my classes before. I guess I was just always too focused on my friends to bother. But, I didn't have to worry about that because I'd never make it to art class today.

\---

"I've deduced it!" Jared declared. "I know why Paul is such an asshole!"

I laughed and Paul scoffed.

"And why would that be, Einstein?" Paul grumbled.

"It's because you don't have a girlfriend." Jared finished.

I laughed. "Elaborate."

"You are a hot head, plain and simple. You need someone to calm you down and coddle you."

I cackled at this.

"Hate to break it to ya, dumbass, you don't have a girlfriend either. And, plus. I don't want a girlfriend. They're too much work." Paul complained.

"Wow, if you weren't one of my friends now I think I'd call you a dick." I responded. "Ya know what? I'm gonna call you a dick anyway."

"Ah, shut up." Paul punched me in the arm. "When you get a girlfriend you tell me how much fun it is."

"Will do." Jared said and threw a slice of pepperoni at Paul to which Paul caught it in his mouth.

"Good catch, Fido." Jared remarked.

I laughed and then stopped when I heard the mention of my name.

"I wish he would just tell me what's wrong. I mean, there has to be something wrong, right? Like, why would he just randomly stop talking to us and hang out with _them?_ " It was Jessie's voice.

"I don't know, Jess. Casey has just changed. It's been a week since I've actually talked to him. It's been like that ever since he got sick." Quil said.

"He's just being a dick. I'm sure that whatever thing he's going through will pass and he'll come crawling back to us." Jake crossed his arms.

The thought saddened me because I would. I would grovel at their feet to make everything okay again.

"But what could he be possibly going through to just suddenly stop talking to us? Argh, it just sucks!" Jessie ranted and hit the table angrily.

"I just wish he would look at me." It was Embry. His voice sounded so quiet compared to the others.

"What?" Jake asked as he wasn't fully paying attention as per usual.

"He won't even look at me." Embry continued, sounding frustrated.

"He hates looking people in the eye. It makes him nervous. That's why when I argue with him I make it a point to stare right at him. It gives me the upper hand."

Asshole.

"Don't take it personally, Em. He's forgotten about all of us." Quil continued.

"But that's not like Casey! He wouldn't do that!" Embry burst out suddenly.

"I know. I'm frustrated too." Jessie put a supportive hand on Embry's shoulder then pulled away. "Whoa, dude you're burning up."

He mumbled an "I'm fine."

"Face it, Em. The old Casey is gone." Quil said sadly.

And in that moment I don't know what came over me, but I mustered up all of my courage to prove them wrong. I did still care, I have not forgotten, nor will I. And so with that statement, I looked up. I peered right at that table and right at my friends. This was how I would face them, this is how I would show them that they were wrong, and I could face them. But, what I got instead was something else entirely.

I got Embry.

Those eyes. Those deep brown eyes made every inch of me feel like I was floating. Yet, at the same time they were the very gravity that kept me on the ground.

I couldn't look away, I couldn't. The feeling of being whole consumed me and I didn't have the strength to move; to look.

I think I stopped breathing, or maybe my heart stopped beating because my brain felt like it was losing oxygen somehow and I felt drunk. The feeling of dopamine fueling my body was overpowering and made me feel dizzy.

It was like that day on the beach all over again. When I fell on top of him, and we were both left frozen for a moment. It was like that exact moment amplified to a million. And he was giving me that look again, the one I couldn't quite decipher. And, it was entrancing.

That was when reality smacked me in the face. Embry's eyes suddenly rolled back and he fainted, the horror of the sight pushed me out of whatever trance I was in. With those eyes finally closed the hold they had on me loosened allowing me to breathe again. I inhaled loudly and looked down at my hands, which at some point had clamped onto the picnic table and was beginning to make it crack.

"Casey? Casey!?" Jared and Paul had been saying my name this whole time, yet I couldn't hear them. All I could hear was my own heartbeat in my ears.

"I-I-I . . ." I couldn't even speak. I couldn't even fathom what had just happened.

"Hey, look at me, kid. Just breathe." Paul looked worried. My body began to shiver and my speech continued to slur.

"I think he's gonna shift, Paul." Jared's eyes were wide.

"Then we need to get him out of here." Paul decided. "Bring him to the woods?"

"Bring him to the woods." Jared agreed.

"I-I-I d-don't . . ." I could barely speak. It hurt to. My body pulled towards Embry, like it needed his presence to survive. "E-Embry."

"C'mon, kid. We gotcha." Paul and Jared hoisted me up and ran to the forest. Thankfully, we were far enough away when my wolf decided to rear its ugly head. And at the first chance I got I ran. I didn't even wait for Paul and Jared to phase so that they could follow me. I just couldn't stand still anymore.

When I run it usually clears my head from whatever shitty thought is bothering me but I couldn't get Embry's face out of my mind. And now quite frankly, I didn't want it to.

\---

"So, you've imprinted?" Sam began with a smirk on his lips. It was only Sam and I in the room. After Jared and Paul told him what happened he told me he had some things to explain in private. I was nervous. It had taken them three hours to get me to calm down. It wasn't until sunset when Paul tackled me and snapped me from my freak out session. Okay, wouldn't you freak the fuck out when you suddenly had VERY strong feelings for your bestfriend? Yeah, I thought so.

"Excuse me?" I responded. "Don't only ducklings do that after they've hatched?"

Sam laughed. "Not exactly. Imprinting in this case is when a wolf finds their match, their other half. Or, I hate this word, soul mate." Sam divulged.

I froze. "B-but that can't be right. H-he can't . . . I mean . . ." I stammered nonsense and Sam just laughed at me again.

"Casey, it's okay to not feel okay about it. It's a weird thing," he rubbed his neck, "a very weird thing. And, from experience I can tell you that when I first imprinted my brain felt like it was put through a blender. Nothing made sense."

I finally got my words straight. "But he's my best friend."

"And Emily was my ex-fiance's cousin. Imprinting doesn't make any sense. But obviously there is a reason the ancestors chose Embry for you, like when they chose Emily for me. Now, at the time did it feel like my life had been turned up side down? Damn right. But if it hadn't happened I wouldn't be who I am today."

"Wow. You should be a counselor." I joked.

He grinned. "I was thinking about it."

I sighed and rubbed my face nervously. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, first you need to get a better hold on your wolf when you're around him, and second once that's done I'll let you talk to him. As your imprint he is bound to find out about the whole wolf thing whether I like it or not. It's inevitable."

Those words couldn't have made me happier. I get to have Embry back, then another thought occurred to me. Oh, god! I have to explain what imprinting is! I'm not gonna do that! Well, I'm not gonna do that right now.

"Sam!, Sam! We have to go!" Paul ran into the house with wide eyes.

Sam and I popped up from our seats.

"What happened?!" Sam questioned.

"It's Embry Call, he's phasing!"   
  


**_It finally fucking happened, yaaaaay! So, what do you guys think? I wanted to change it up a bit and make the imprintee feel the pull just as much as the wolf. I thought it would be more interesting that way. Obviously, the feeling is a bit different for the human than it is the wolf, but I always wanted the human to feel the pull more too. So, that's just what I did._ **

**_Hehe, don't worry Embry and Casey won't be apart forever. They will be together soon, I promise ;) Or do I? Muahahahaha!_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!_ **


	8. Chapter Eight: Embry

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[Is it bad that the first thing I thought of was Casey?]_

__

~~~

My heart stopped.

He's phasing, Embry was phasing. Oh my god, oh my fucking God! What do I do? Then it hit me. "Ah!" I hissed and grabbed my side. It felt like someone stabbed me with a hot fire poker.

Paul and Sam looked at me worriedly. "Casey?"

"H-he needs help!" I pushed my way outside.

I let out another yelp. "Whoa, slowdown." Sam advised.

"I'm fine!" I yelled out and started to run. I needed to be there with him. I wouldn't let him go through this alone. In a flash, I was in my wolf form and I bolted as quickly as I could to Embry's house. Paul and Sam were close behind.

I let out another wince, this time it was more animal-like.

'Casey? What's wrong?' Sam asked.

'I-I can feel his pain!' I said and ran faster. 'We have to hurry!'

"Jared's already there." Paul said. "So he's not alone."

'How did we not realize he was shifting sooner?' I asked.

'Sometimes it's uncertain. Jared's phase happened and he barely had a fever. It's different for everyone. Yours was very clear, I guess Embry's wasn't.' Sam figured.

I growled as the pain in my side continued to surge throughout my body. It fueled me to run faster.

When we finally arrived, the sound of his screams barreled through the air. It was deafening. I shifted back to human quickly, looking down to make sure I wasn't naked. That isn't what Embry needed right now. But thankfully, during my strenuous wolf exercises Sam taught me to phase without ripping my clothes to shreds. Though, it only works with shorts or skin tight clothes. Baggy clothes don't stick properly to your body and it just rips up when you shift. I've gone through quite a few pairs of clothes testing that theory.

Embry screamed again and I ran in his direction. When I saw him he was laying on the ground covered in sweat and tears. He looked like hell.

"It's okay, Em. You're not alone, it's okay." I grabbed his face to get his attention. The hope was that maybe a familiar face would give him something else to focus on.

"C-Casey? Ah!" His back cracked and he yelled out again. The sound hurt me in more ways than one.

"It'll be over soon, I promise."

"How long has he been like this?" Sam asked Jared. Jared and Paul had been doing a patrol in the area when they heard Embry start to phase. I'm guessing that a teenage boy screaming bloody murder was a dead give away to a shift.

"Five minutes. It's a long one."

"C-Casey, w-what's happen-n-ning?!" His voice cracked as he grabbed my arm and squeezed.

I couldn't even answer before Embry's face contorted in pain and it made me want to cry. I wanted to make the pain go away. I wanted to take it for him, let me suffer not him, not Embry. I would do anything to make him be okay.

"Back up, he's phasing." Sam pulled me back.

"No, stop! Wait!" I tried to get back to him.

"Casey! Stop!" Paul pulled me too.

"Let me go!"

A sound I somehow recognized rang out making me stop struggling. I looked ahead at Embry to see a wolf instead of the writhing boy that was once on the ground.

He was beautiful. His fur was a mix of silver and grey with touches of white and brown mixed in. But most noticeable of all was his face. It was basically all white, almost like a mask of sorts. It gave him a unique look I've never seen with other wolves before. Of course, leave it to Embry to be a pretty wolf. Fucker.

He stumbled on his new found four feet and looked at us with pure confusion. Actually, he was looking right at me, and what's funny about this is the fact that even after the whole imprinting thing and looking into his eyes and stuff, I couldn't do it now. It felt like too much, and that was just for me. I didn't want to push him.

"Em?" I asked softly.

_Embry's P.O.V._

When Casey said my name I froze. I knew something was wrong by the way he looked at me, like I was about to lose it.

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I was glad the pain had stopped. I broke my leg two years ago and that was nothing compared to this.

I took a step towards the the group of boys in front of me and suddenly realized I wasn't on two feet, I was on four. And worst yet, they weren't feet anymore, they were paws.

That's when I slowly started to look up at Casey. His eyes were wide and wary as he took a step towards me. I backed up, stumbling over my new set of legs.

"It's okay." He said softly.

His voice was third on the list of things I loved most about him. It was always reassuring and genuine. He placed his hand gently on my muzzle, my muzzle? That was when he laughed to himself for a moment.

"I guess you realize now why I've been so distant, I've been trying not to turn into a giant wolf at school."

So that's what I was, a wolf. That's not alarming at all. I wanted to freak out and run to who knows where but Casey kept me grounded. I wanted to be with him. I've always wanted to be with him.

So, instead of running off at the news of my new transformation I instead snorted and sat down.

"Wow, that went surprisingly well. Casey, you're a genius." Jared complemented and gave the boy a thumbs up.

I looked over at the group and back to Casey and as if he could read my mind he answered my question. "Yes, they're wolves too. That's why I've been hanging around them. They're my pack, and well, they're yours now too."

"Hi, I'm Jared." Jared Cameron waved at me awkwardly.

"Shut up, numb nuts." Paul smacked him. "Let him settle."

"Says hi, gets smacked. Says anything, gets smacked. Ya know, Paul, I'm beginning to see a pattern." Jared said with sass.

Paul raised his hand again and Jared flinched. "Ha, gotcha." Paul laughed.

"Asshole."

I made a snorting sound watching the two bicker. It reminded me of Jake and Quil.

"See, they're not so bad." Casey smiled. That's the second thing I loved the most about him, his smile. But he hates it; it's one of his insecurities. But I love it, that's one of the things that brings me comfort. If he's smiling everything is okay. He then turned back to his friends. "Hey, can one of you guys grab some pants for when he shifts back."

"Sure, where?" Jared asked.

"Third door upstairs, second drawer in the dresser." Casey said, he knew my room in and out. And before you ask, no it's not like that.

"How do you know that?" Paul questioned.

Casey waved him off. "That's not important."

Sam Uley then approached me cautiously, yet he stayed a meter or so behind Casey. "If you want to shift back you need to focus on something that can calm you down." He explained with a soft smile. He was definitely the leader of the group, but I could tell he was letting Casey take charge in this situation.

Is it bad that the first thing I thought of was Casey? I mean, he wasn't hard to think of since he was right in front of me. It's just since whatever happened at lunch every emotion I had for him was intensified and all I could do was think about him. It did finally become too much though and I think that was when I passed out. Not my proudest moment, but at least now I know why I felt like complete garbage.

Now it was time to focus. Focus on something, focus on Casey. I couldn't do this alone so I focused on Casey's face, or more specifically his eyes. I know he hates looking people in the eyes but somehow that part of him seemed to vanish as he stared intently back at me, like he knew I needed him. I guess being a wolf has helped with his confidence. And that is the thing I love the most about him. Those deep dark eyes that held a reflection of a grey wolf standing in front of him. That's when it happened, a tingling sensation radiated through my body. Starting at my paws then moving upwards. It felt so strange, but I knew it was a feeling I was going to get used to eventually.

_Casey's P.O.V._

He began to phase back and everything finally felt okay again. He ended up on the ground in a fetal position.

"Here!" Jared tossed me Embry's pants and I gave them to him.

"Here, Em."

He groaned and took the pants. "That literally sucked ass." He moaned and put on his pants sloppily. He was feeling the aftermath of a first shift. I could relate all too well.

I grabbed his arm and so did Jared and we hoisted him up. "I gotchu, bud."

"I feel like I jumped off a cliff, got eaten by a shark, then decided to drink to try and forget it happened." He grumbled.

I laughed. "That pretty much sums up how we all felt after our first time." I said.

"Yeah, not a fun feeling." Jared agreed.

Embry groaned again as we brought him to Sam's place. We couldn't risk having his mom walk in on a bunch of random dudes sitting in her living room. She works late usually, it's only Embry and her. He doesn't know who his dad is and it bothers him, but his mother refuses to tell him who the father is. She said it's to protect him but I just think it's a load of bullshit.

We finally made it to the house and put Embry on the couch. I sat next to him so he didn't feel alone.

"Can anyone explain what just happened to me?"

That was Sam's queue to explain. And Embry took it pretty well, all things considering. Well, besides the whole not talking to our friends thing.

"But that's bullshit!" Em crossed his arms.

"I know, but it's to protect them, I swear. Just being around them could allow them to find out and-"

"What's so wrong with them finding out? They won't tell anyone." Embry pushed.

"I'm sure they're trustworthy, but that's not the only worry. What if you get angry and you shift? You have no control over your wolf yet. Casey has just learned to control his wolf somewhat and he's still struggling."

Well, damn. "That's true, Em. You don't even know how badly I wanted to tell you guys, but I couldn't. I couldn't risk me hurting you."

"Physically or emotionally?" Em retorted. I wanted to argue but he had a good point. Either way I still hurt them, whether it was physical or not.

Sam sighed. "I had to cut off my whole connection to the world when I found out that I could turn into a wolf on command. And, it was awful. I don't want you guys to have to go through what I did but there has to be a separation from them and us. I know you don't want to see it now and I don't blame you. But I promise, it's only in your best interest. For all of us actually."

Paul suddenly spoke up. "It's not just your secret, it's ours too. There's rules for a reason and we have to stick by them." He grunted.

Now it was Embry's turn to sigh. I know he hated it, I hated it, but it was what had to be done. "Well, lunch is going to be fun."

**_Hey guys! So yeah, I decided to shake things up a bit and put some of Embry's thoughts into the mix. I thought it would be more interesting that way. And yeah, Embry has liked Casey for awhile now, even before the imprint, hehe. But the imprint just made those feelings multiply lol. But yeah, I can feel the tension building between Embry and Casey and I'm excited to keep going. It's been fun writing this._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!_ **


	9. Chapter Nine: Feelings

**Wolves Of Twilight**

_[I won't let it be anyone else because I don't want anyone else to love him like I do.]_

__

~~~

'Swing right!' I said to myself as I watched Embry and Paul duel. To give you some context on why I'm currently yelling out strategies, we were training. It has been another week since Embry shifted and he was finally getting the swing of things. He's doing much better than I was at this time.

'Casey, he has to figure it out for himself.' Sam said.

'Sorry.' I mumbled. It felt like I was watching a football game in a library. I wanted to shout out plays but I had to stay quiet.

'It's okay, Case. You're boyfriend is tougher than he looks.' Jared remarked from beside me.

'Shut up, Jared!' I know full well Embry heard it because he faltered slightly which gave Paul the upper hand, which allowed him to push him into a tree.   
He quickly recovered though.

'Don't get distracted, Embry.' Sam advised.

'See, look at what you did, asshole." I barked at Jared to which he only responded with a laugh. My friends are such assholes sometimes.

Embry tackled Paul, seemingly out of anger. I couldn't read his thoughts at the moment. He learned to control them better than me, though I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. When I went on my first patrol I forced Jared and Paul to listen to my endless dick jokes. It's not like they could block me out, so I took advantage of it to bug them. Though, karma will come and bite me in the ass at some point.

'Cheap shot!' Paul argued as he wiggled out of Embry's grip.

'Enemies take cheap shots. You must be ready for them.' Sam explained.

Paul grumbled and lurched at Embry, every time he does that I get a strong instinct to attack. I don't like watching Embry fight, it makes my ADHD go through the roof. Sam said the fact that I'm so hyperactive is perfect for being a wolf, though I'd like to argue about how great it is when it comes to school work.

Embry dodged Paul left and right. I could tell Paul was getting angry.

'What is it, Lahote? Am I too fast for ya?' Embry teased.

'You're gonna eat your words, Call.' Paul growled.

I didn't like where this was going, and I think Sam got the same feeling.

'Alright, that's enough.' Sam said. "You guys did well.'

'Awe man, I was about to maul him.' Paul whined.

'Yeah, I think he knows that.' Jared hip checked Paul playfully.

'Are you okay?' I asked Embry as I always did after he fought.

'Yup, as fit as a fiddle.' He responded.

'Nobody says that anymore.'

'Well, I just did.' He gave me a toothy grin.

'Weirdo.'

Sam then spoke up. 'Okay, guys. Let's head back home and rest up for the night. You guys have school tomorrow.'

'Food!' Jared sprinted forward to which we all followed in suit. Emily's cooking was fucking amazing. She's a total pro in the kitchen, and the best part is the fact that she enjoys cooking. So for wolf boys who eat all day everyday she's perfect for being the mother of the group. Plus, she's just an all around good person.

'Fooooooooooooood!' We all chanted as we ran. I could hear Sam laughing at our antics from behind us. He let us go ahead, I'm guessing he didn't feel like getting trampled by a bunch of dipshits.

We bolted up to the house. Paul got there first, alongside Jared and Embry. I was close behind but even closer once I realized that the rain from last night left the ground sopping wet. So mix a clumsy wolf with freshly rained on grass and you've got a slip'n'slide.

'Oh, shit! Fuck! I don't have brakes!' I warned and before the others could turn around I crashed into them like bowling pins.

'Strike!' Sam Laughed.

'Get off of me!' Paul growled.

'My spine!' Jared cried out.

'Good job, Case. You'll be the best wolf bowler yet." Embry laughed from where he landed.

'Sorry, I slipped.' I cackled.

'Is that what your mom says when people ask how she dropped you on your head when you were a baby?" Paul retorted.

'Damn, Paul. Why did you have to bring my mama into it?" I laughed some more.

Emily suddenly came out of the house crying with laughter. "That was the best thing I have ever seen!"

'I'm in unimaginable pain!' Jared continued to complain.

'Shut up, Jare.' Paul hissed.

Jared stopped rolling around and stood up. 'Damn, the only thing that's hurt now are my feelings.'

\---

"I don't understand how you did this?" Em said nervously, playing with his newly cut hair. Sam says wearing our hair short will cool us down. I wouldn't know the difference considering I've always had my hair short.

"Don't over think it, bro. Just walk in, ignore and move on." Paul advised.

"Great pep-talk." I rolled my eyes.

"What? It's what I did." He defended.

"And everyone thinks you're an asshole." I retorted.

He grumbled something about not giving a flying fuck under his breath.

"Look, Em. I won't lie to you and say that it's easy, but you're not alone in this. You have us," I readjusted my words. "You have me."

He smiled at this. "It's still gonna suck though."

"Yeah, it is."

Physics was much better with Embry to talk to, though it was interesting watching him and Paul bicker over little things. He finally feels comfortable among the group and I was glad for that.

"No, this one is centripetal force not centrifugal force." Paul argued.

"In this problem we're measuring the force the object feels, not the force of the object." Embry countered. "Casey, what do you think?"

"All I know is that it starts with a 'C'." I said.

They rolled their eyes at me. In all honesty, their use of big words made my head spin.

I was glad when the bell finally rang for lunch. I was starving! I mean, I'm always hungry but still, going three hours without food sucks!

"Would you stop looking at them. You're not helping yourself." Paul hissed at Embry as we sat down at our new table.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I feel so guilty." He said truthfully.

"I know how you feel." I said putting my hand on his shoulder. The feeling of tingles spread across my fingertips and it gave me chills. I cleared my throat. "But yeah, stop staring. It won't help anyone's case."

He sighed, then suddenly snapped his attention to my hand. The look on his face being a mix of confusion and happiness. It made me hold my breath, like whatever I had just felt he felt too.

"I don't understand math!" Jared exclaimed angrily interrupting the weird moment.

"Welcome to the club." I responded finally getting a hold of myself. Mental note: don't touch Embry. But I want to. Whoa! What am I thinking?! What am I thinking? I don't think I know anymore.

"Let me help." Embry stepped in. He's good with the more math related stuff, like Algebra and physics. But I'm good at art and writing. Now that isn't something I struggle with. Well, as much anyway.

"Wait, so X is supposed to be six not twelve? I'm hopeless!" Jared put his head in his hands.

"No, look. You just forgot the last step. Divide it down." Embry pointed out.

"Oh. Well, I still hate math." He decided.

\---

Our short 30 minutes of freedom ended when the bell rang and it was time for English. I walked by my old friends and they greeted me with glares. I wanted to hide; to run. But I was just glad I wasn't alone anymore. I had Embry, but I think that's why they were glaring at me. As if I had stolen him from them, it made me feel that much more guilty.

I know that I'm just repeating myself but I just wish I could tell them. I want them to know that I'm not an asshole. But, I can't. It just bothers me to see Jacob and Jessie be so worried about me. They probably think I'm on drugs or something. Better yet, I just lost my damn mind entirely, no drugs needed. It sure has felt like I've lost it. I mean, the whole situation is nuts. You have to agree with me there.

After English it was time for art, my fucking escape from all this hell. There I could just relax and not think about anything but my art.

"Casey, look what I drew." Jared said excitedly.

I turned to Jared and waited for him to show me his amazing art. Embry looked over his shoulder and saw it first. "Wha-oh my god! Jared!" Embry fell over laughing.

"Don't laugh, it's art!"

"What did you do?" I chuckled at the laughing fools in front of me.

Jared tried to stifle back his laughter and showed me the paper.

He flipped the pad of paper around and what I saw made me laugh like a complete maniac. In front of me was a well drawn picture of a penis with a top hat and a smile. "This is Mr. Peen! He has a hat and a big ol' smile!" He said like a five year old.

"Oh my fucking God!" I couldn't control myself. I told you already, we're a bunch of immature twelve year olds.

Jared is smarter than he seems. Why do I say this you might ask? Well, he knows how much I'm trying not to focus on my sister, who was literally sitting across from me staring daggers into my face. So, Jared being Jared decides to distract me and Em as best he can. How does he do that? By drawing phallic objects.

"Sup, fuckers." Paul suddenly greeted us.

"What are you doing here?" Embry asked. "You're not in art class."

"I am now."

"Don't you have history right now?" Jared asked.

"Sure."

"Lahote! Get back to your class." Ms. Smith said.

That was when the bell rang.

"Yes! Saved by the bell." He muttered.

"Let's get out of here."

"Hell is over, time to sing aah-" Jared started to sing as we walked down the sidewalk, but Paul cut him off by slamming his hand over his mouth.

"Don't, just don't." He said with attitude, then lifted his hand off his mouth.

"Fine, what's got your panties in a twist?" Jared asked.

"Just tired, Jare." Paul responded.

"I get that." I said with a yawn. It was nap time.

"Uh, Casey? Incoming!" Embry hit my arm and pointed to a very pissed off looking Jessie alongside Quil and Jacob.

"Oh god." I mumbled.

"What is you guy's problem? First my own damn brother stops talking to me and now Embry is tagging along for the ride! What the hell is going on?!" Jessie yelled at us.

"Jessie, just go home!" I tried to deflect the situation. Yeah right, like that would work.

"C'mon Casey, do you take us for fools?" Quil spoke up.

"No, of course not. I-"

"You what, Casey? You don't have an answer do you?" Jacob started.

"Bug off, Jake! Leave him alone!" Embry stood in front of me. His normally relaxed demeanor changing within seconds. This shocked me.

"You're not any different! You left us too!" Quil said angrily.

"Why?" Jessie asked.

"Because we're better company than you, princess." Paul snarked off-hand, not really giving her his full attention. That's what Paul does, he likes to play it cool when he argues. I think it makes him feel superior.

"Excuse me!"

Jared suddenly stepped in. "Hey, guys. We can all calm down. There's no need to get all worked up." He eyed Paul. Paul has a short temper if you couldn't tell. He's prone to shifting by accident.

"Yeah, well don't come storming up to us with an attitude if you don't expect a fight." Paul retorted and rolled his eyes.

"You guys are the reason Casey and Em aren't around anymore! You don't get a say in this!" Jake responded and stepped closer to Paul, egging him on.

"Jake don't." I warned.

"Get out of my face, Rapunzel!" Paul snarled.

"Or what? You gonna kick my ass or something?" Jake continued. "I'd like to see you try."

Jessie might be angry but she isn't dumb, it was time for her to play referee again.

"Jake stand down." She put her hand on his chest to push him back. "They're not worth it." She said in a defeated tone.

"Pfft, you wouldn't stand a chance." Paul remarked.

Jessie ignored him and turned to me with a rare look in her eyes. "I'm disappointed in you both, especially you, Casey. You had such good friends and you traded them for dicks like these."

I wanted to apologize, but my words were stuck in my mouth. I dropped my head in shame, trying not to see that desperate look in her eyes. I couldn't deal with it.

"Who are you calling a dick, Princess?" Paul continued, still wanting a fight.

Jessie snapped her head in his direction. "You! And if you call me princess one more time I'll . . ." Her words abruptly stopped mid sentence.

I forced myself to glance up at her and saw that she was looking at Paul. And well, he was looking right back at her. I've never seen him look so calm before. His angry glare had melted away and he seemed completely content.

Jessie had a similar look on her face, one that was very similar to the one Embry gave me that day during lunch.

That was when it clicked. Paul had just imprinted on my sister. Paul Lahote had just imprinted on my sister!

The awkward moment passed when Jessie's eyes fluttered and she collapsed. I lunged to catch her.

"Let go of me!" She said angrily and Jake soon took my place.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"Paul?" Jared asked with uncertainty.

I turned to him and saw a look of fear plastered across his face. Yes, I've seen Paul angry, he's always angry. But I've never seen him so afraid in my life.

"Jessie, are you okay?" I heard Quil and Jake ask my sister.

"Yeah, just take me home, please." She said in a quiet voice.

"Paul, look at me." Embry and Jared were trying to get Paul to stop hyperventilating. He was staring right at my sister with wide eyes. He seemed so scared.

"I-I-I have to g-go!" He stuttered.

"C'mon, we've got you." Jared and Embry grabbed his arms and hoisted him forward. I was close behind.

I couldn't speak, I couldn't think, but my legs pulled me along with my friends long enough for us to get to the woods.

Once we were hidden Paul shifted and ran off.

I couldn't move any further and found myself collapse next to a tree with my head in my hands. Embry kneeled next to me, I think he was talking to me but I couldn't hear him for a moment.

Jared shifted as well and turned to us.

"Just go! You're his best friend he needs you." Embry said to Jared to which Jared nodded and ran after Paul.

_Embry's P.O.V._

"Hey, look at me. Casey, look at me." I grabbed his face lightly to make him look up at me. His face was wet with silent tears. "Oh, Casey." Crying was a rare thing for Casey Apha. As a kid he never cried, he just didn't. At least in front of me he didn't.

He let out a soft cry and tried to cover his face again, but I didn't let him. On the rare occasion he does cry he hates having people see him do it. He hates it when people feel bad for him.

"C'mere." I pulled him into my chest and he let out a muffled wail. I fought back my own tears watching him fall apart like this. It hurt me. I tried to comfort him with the usual phrases of "it's gonna be alright" and "you'll be okay" but it just didn't feel right. Those words couldn't just mend the emotional wounds of this poor boy. So, instead I just sat there with him trying to give him an anchor to hold onto.

And after what felt like hours he finally stopped crying and instead just sat in my arms, his head lying somewhere between my left shoulder and my chest.

If this had happened in any other situation I think I would've been beyond happy to have him be this close to me. But right now, I didn't feel the nervousness you get when you're around your crush. Instead, I felt a sense of duty being there for Casey in this manner. I needed to be there for him. I have to be there for him.

The thought of anyone else sitting here and comforting him like this made my stomach turn. It had to be me. Only I can comfort him like this, only I can hold him like this. I didn't want it to be anyone else. It couldn't be anyone else. I won't let it be anyone else because I don't want anyone else to love him like I do.

I love him and there's nothing in the world that can change that.   
  


**_Aaaaaaaah! Poor baby! And it's official Embry loves baby Casey. I felt so bad writing this chapter, but I felt it was necessary to have Casey break down like that, no normal person can just go through those feelings of being guilty and just ignore it. Especially knowing that their not even doing it to be a jerk. Aaaaah, I felt so bad. But Embry was there to the rescue to give Casey a shoulder to cry on, literally._ **

**_Side note: if anyone is going through a hard time and needs someone to talk to my messages are always open._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	10. Chapter Ten: Tea Party

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[I felt his chest on my back as he reached up to grab a coffee cup in the cabinet above my head. I felt myself stop breathing.]_

__

__

~~~

All night I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. First Jessie and the others yell at me, Paul imprints on Jessie and then I cried in front of Embry.

I'm not happy with Paul imprinting on my sister, but what upset me the most was having Embry see me like that. I beyond appreciated him being there for me, but I wish he hadn't have seen me break down in that manner. Though he made sure I didn't feel embarrassed about it. Whenever I tried to apologize he'd shut me down. He's too good to me.

I sat up and stretched in a bed that wasn't my own. I didn't go home last night, Sam and Emily let me sleep at their house. I couldn't face my sister and they understood that. With that being said, Embry didn't want to leave my side, so he slept on the couch even though I told him to go home. Then again, if I had seen him crumble like that I wouldn't have wanted to leave his side either.

I got up and heard my joints do its morning ritual of crackling and popping after every step I took. I sighed as I made my bed and stretched out the rest of my body. I felt drained after yesterday, which I think is understandable considering what had happened.

I opened the door quietly, went to the bathroom, then went into the kitchen. I shuffled silently to the cabinets to grab a coffee cup so I could make myself some tea.

A soft snore distracted me from what I was doing and made me look over to Embry who was fast asleep on the couch.

He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. I couldn't help but stare. He looked adorable. I then felt bad for him sleeping on the couch instead of in a bed. He could've slept in the bed and me sleep on the couch, or we could've shared the bed or something. Wait, no! That's not what I meant!

The ideas running through my head made me blush.

I put my cup of water in the microwave and tried to close the door slowly with a _click._ I let out the breath I was holding in when he didn't wake up. _Phew._

 _"_ You never were the stealthy type." Embry yawned.

Shit.

"Awe shit. Sorry, Em. I was trying to be quiet."

"I know, it's fine, Casey. I wanted to wake up early anyway." He smiled while rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

The microwave beeped when it was done warming up my water.

"Making tea?" Em asked.

"Yeah, I was in the mood for some. You want some coffee?"

"You know what? I'll try some tea." He gave me a goofy grin.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure! Why not?" He said while walking over to me in the kitchen.

I smiled. "Em, I don't think you'll like it."

I felt his chest on my back as he reached up to grab a coffee cup in the cabinet above my head. I felt myself stop breathing.

"Can't knock it 'til ya try it, right?" He said in my ear. His words sent chills down my spine. He then handed me the cup and backed away leaving me flustered.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure." I said nervously.

He smirked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just that-"

"We get the day off, bitches!" Jared rushed into the house loudly. Paul stood timidly behind him. He looked like hell. He had bags under his eyes. Jared did get him to calm down last night, but the imprinting thing has seemed to have taken its toll.

"What do you mean? We have school in like 30 minutes." Em asked.

"Not anymore. There was a fire in the cafeteria. We have no school until further notice. How wicked is that?"

"There goes my education." I responded.

"They said they'll be open by next week." Jared said sadly.

"How about you guys go to the beach for the day then, to celebrate this odd occasion." Sam walked in. "Oh, and keep your voices down, Emily is still sleeping."

"Was sleeping." She corrected him and walked out of the hallway behind him.   
"You think I can sleep with a bunch of doofs like you guys in the house? No way, I'm too afraid you'd break something." She smiled and ruffled my hair as she walked past me. Though that was a challenge considering I was more than a foot taller than her. "Oh and you can thank me for the day off, it was my idea." She smiled and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Emily." Jared beamed.

I finished making the tea and handed a cup to Embry.

"Eew, what is that?" Jared asked. "That's not coffee."

"You're right, it's tea. Chip chip cheerio!" Embry said and took a sip. His face then contorted.

"Do you like it?" I asked trying not to laugh.

"Mhm." He hummed.

"You don't like it."

"No, I don't like it." He said truthfully.

I let out a laugh. "Better just stick to coffee, love!" I said in a goofy British accent.

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Probably a good idea."

Emily then started to cook breakfast and the boys and I decided to patrol the area while we waited for food.

Once we went back and scoffed down everything in sight we got ready to go to the beach.

"Follow me!" Jared said happily as he ran along the forest path.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the best spot in town." Jared responded and continued to run.

We were in our human forms by the way, so our wolf like agility wasn't as good right now.

"I think I know where he's taking us." Embry said.

"What? Where?"

"You'll see!" Jared answered for Embry.

I rolled my eyes. "Jared, how much longer do we have to wa-hmph!" I slipped on some mud and landed on my back with a thud. "Ow." I wheezed. I got the air knocked out of me.

Jared and Embry laughed at my clumsiness. "Bro, you have two left feet! You can't even walk straight!" Jared laughed.

"For your information, I slipped on some mud. Thank you very much." I countered.

"Sure, buddy." Embry laughed and gave me a hand. I reached for it and pulled myself up. The simple connection sent tingles all across my body.

After I got up I let go of his hand quickly remembering the rule I set yesterday, don't touch Embry.

"Alright, numb nuts. We're here." Jared pointed to the opening of the cliffs. A popular cliff jumping spot in La Push. A very dangerous hobby by the way.

"Oh fuck no! I'm not doing that!" I said immediately and turned around.

"He has a fear of heights." Embry clarified.

"Fine, I'll jump first, then I'll throw you in when I come back up."

"No." I said simply.

"Paul, help me out here." Jared turned to Paul who had been quiet this whole time.

"No, thank you." He said quietly.

Jared frowned. He knew his friend felt off and he was trying to get him out of his funk. I felt kind of guilty about that, I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm pissed at him. I'm not, by the way, I mean I'm not happy but I'm not pissed.

I knew I had to go talk to him. I just had to decide on how to do it. I looked at Em who seemed to have the same idea as me. With out a word he nodded and went to go talk to Jared.

"Wow, would you look at those clouds." Embry said to him.

I turned to Paul, who looked at me sheepishly.

"I'm not mad at you." I told him.

"What?" He gave me a confused look.

"You've been looking at me like I'm gonna attack you all morning."

He looked down. "You're not mad?" He asked.

"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled. But, no, I'm not mad. I know you can't control it, it just happens." I motioned to Embry who was faced away from me at this point.

Paul nodded.

"You gonna tell her?" The thought just occurred to me. Now that Paul imprinted on Jessie according to Sam's rules she can know about me now.

"No." His eyes widened at the thought.

"What? Why not?"

"Have _you_ told Embry yet?"

"Told me what?" Em turned around at the mention of his name.

"That, uh, Paul imprinted on my sister." I said quickly. Paul rolled his eyes.

"What?" Embry furrowed his eyebrows. "You know what? I'm not even gonna ask." He turned back around again.

I punched Paul in the arm. "Asshole!" I hissed.

"See, isn't that simple, is it?" He countered, seeming to gain something back within himself.

"Okay, yeah, fine." I agreed.

"I'm gonna jump!" Jared exclaimed as he looked over the edge. The idea made my stomach drop.

"Not before me!" Paul pushed past him and did a Swan dive into the water.

We all whooped and hollered. I wasn't gonna do that. And if they tried to make me, I was gonna drag them down with me.

I laughed along with my friends then stopped as I heard another voice. "Embry used to call them hall monitors on steroids, now look at him." I looked to my left to see Jacob talking to none other than Bella Swan in the distance. I couldn't say that I was surprised. They were far enough away I knew they couldn't hear us talk, but that didn't mean we couldn't hear them.

I turned to Embry who held a defeated expression on his face which saddened me. I know he heard the conversation too. "It's not your fault, Em." I said to him, fighting the urge to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He nodded. "I know." He said solemnly. "It just sucks."

"C'mon, losers! Jump in!" Jared interrupted.

"No."

"Yes." Embry smiled.

I widened my eyes. "No."

He rolled his eyes in response. "Casey, it isn't that bad." He said.

"I don't care." I retorted. My mind was set. "I don't subdue to peerpressure."

"Fine! But you're missing out! Whohoooooo!" Jared whooped as he jumped over the edge doing a flip in the process.

"Well, I guess we're taking the long way around." Embry smiled at me.

"You're not jumping?"

"Not at the moment." He said simply looking off into the distance.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You confuse me, Em."

"I confuse me too. C'mon, race ya to the beach!" He pushed me and we both sprinted to the path leading to the shore.

But just before I ran I looked back to Jacob again and noticed that something about him was different. I squinted my eyes and noticed that he was definitely taller, more muscular and his face was flushed.

That was when it occurred to me. Oh my god, Jacob was gonna shift.

\---

It wasn't until a week later when he started to phase. Thankfully, he had stayed home that day and so did Em and I. Sam said that it would be best if Jacob had Embry and I there since we were friends. That way he had some familiar faces to help him get through it all. Though, Jared and Paul weren't too thrilled. Who am I kidding? Paul didn't give two flying fucks if he was there. Jared just didn't wanna miss out on anything.

I heard a scream erupt from the back yard. I knew exactly who it was from. I had been waiting in the woods like a fricking stalker waiting for him to shift. We needed to be there when it happened.

I ran up to Jacob who was sprawled out in the grass attempting to hold his side which seemed to be the main source of his pain. That wouldn't last for long. "Jacob!"

"Hurry, quickly!" Billy said worriedly as he watched his son.

"We're here! Sam's close behind." Embry told him.

I got to Jacob first. I knelt down next to him and tried to give him some reassurance.

He yelled out in pain as another snap rang out.

"Hey, buddy. We're here. It's gonna be okay." I tried to reassure him. Though, I understand you really can't get much reassurance when you're in this state.

"Casey?" He winced. "W-what's happening to m-me?" He stuttered.

"All I can say is that you're going through some changes." Well, that's a way to put it.

I had made sure I was near Jacob all day and night when he broke a fever, like me his shift came on a little slower but with a kick. Thankfully he didn't pass out like I had the day before.

"How long?" Sam asked.

"Three minutes." Billy told him.

"Hey, Jake. It'll be over soon." Embry said on the other side of Jake.

"Back up, back up, back up!" Sam grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. Embry moved out of the way.

Jacob shifted within seconds. A huge russet colored wolf was in his place.

He looked like me a bit, but I had a darker red pelt and green eyes, while Jacob's color was more brown, along with his eyes.

He looked at us fearfully, keeping his head low. He growled at us out of fear. It was understandable. Plus, when you first shift you get this sudden flow of emotions that you don't know what do with. So, his reactions were fair.

"Jake, it's me." I stepped forward.

He shook his head like he had just realized something, the question that probably occurred being 'what the fuck just happened?' He then looked down at himself, taking in the fact that he no longer was on two feet, or the fact that he no longer had feet at all. He had paws.

I don't know how, but his eyes managed to grow even wider. I related to the fear that was obvious within them.

"Jake, don't-" I tried but that was when he bolted.

"Alright, let's go." Sam shifted quickly along with the rest of us.

We had to calm him down.

'Oh my fucking God!' I heard him say as we got closer.

'Jake, it's okay!' I tried to say to him.

'Oh my god! I'm hearing voices!' He ran faster.

'Embry, try to cut him off.' Sam commanded. Embry was the fastest of us, so he had a better chance of catching up to him.

'Jacob! It's me, Embry!' He quickly caught up to him.

'Embry?' Jake said and quickly lost his footing and slipped and fell on his face.

We all stopped.

He got back up quickly. 'What the hell is going on? I'm a fucking wolf!'

'Yup.' Embry said.

'Yeah, and so are we.' I said to him.

'Casey?' Jake squinted his eyes at me. 'Oh my fucking god! What the fuck? How?'

'Yeah, it's me.' I told him. 'Well, it's a long story.'

'This cannot be happening.'

'It is, Jacob.' Sam said. 'And, we're here to help.'

When we finally got back to home base Sam gave Jake the rundown and Emily gave him a hair cut. She did a pretty good job too.

"Jessie is gonna kill me." Jake exclaimed when Sam told him about the no telling people the secret and staying separate rules.

"See! That's what I said!" I agreed.

"So that's why you've been distant? Both of you?" Jake asked me and Em.

"Yeah." Embry said and I nodded.

"I'm sorry for getting so mad at you." He apologized. "Now I feel stupid."

"Don't. You had every right to be. You don't even know how badly I wanted to tell you guys. But, I couldn't. I had to keep you safe." I explained.

Embry agreed.

"From what?" Jake asked.

"From me."  
  
  
  
  
  


**_So, Jacob phased! The story is progressing. Hurray! And can we talk about Casey's stupid no touching Embry rule, like C'mon we all know he isn't gonna follow that one for long._ **

**_How do you guys like the progression of Embry and Casey's relationship, I believe we will see more flustered Casey very soon._ **

**_Oh, and what about Paul and Jessie? lmao I think they are a good pair because Jessie won't stand for his shit and that's what's good for him. I'm excited to write that soon too. I will be writing a separate story for them btw in Jessie's P.O.V. It will be so interesting to write the same story but through her perspective. I'm excited._ **

**_Well, thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	11. Chapter Eleven: Problems

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_["Casey, you've been acting weird ever since I phased. Please just tell me. I won't judge you."]  
  
_

__

_\---_

It has been two weeks since Jacob has shifted and he is starting to fit into the group. He's had a harder time with integrating himself into the group. I think it's because he's so thick headed. He's one to easily butt heads with, especially with Paul. Plus, his obsession with Bella Swan didn't make the transition any easier. I did feel bad though, her best friend had literally just dropped off the face of the earth for no reason. I can very much understand why she would feel hurt by his sudden actions. He wasn't handling that part well at all. His anger is a problem, especially when it comes to the Cullens. He blatantly outed them being vampires to Bella when he told her they couldn't be friends anymore. Which is a rule you're not supposed to break. Jacob is just such a dumbass sometimes.

I guess one good thing that's come out of this is that recently I've noticed that Bella has found a friend within Jessie. They can bond over how their used to be bestfriends are ignoring them. Sounds like a great conversation starter to me.

Jessie has gotten used to me not really talking to her anymore and she no longer questions me. Though, she did have a few words to say when she noticed Jacob hanging with us. That wasn't pretty. Oh, and by the way, Paul hasn't talked to her yet. Though, I know he patrols around the house every night to make sure she's okay. Some might think it's endearing, but I think it's territorial. But then again, I am her brother. I have a right to be protective.

But hey, things will begin to look up eventually, right?

'Vampire!' Jared howled along with Paul. 'Southside! Hurry!'

'Is it a Cullen?' Embry asked.

'No, they wouldn't be stupid enough to cross the border.' Sam growled.

Paul and Jared caught up with us as we ran towards the blood sucker.

'They shouldn't be here!' Paul growled.

'We'll just have to show them off then, won't we?' Jared remarked.

'They smell like a burned down candy store.' I scoffed at the overly sweet smell. But, I suddenly felt nervous when another smell became prevalent as well. One that was human.

Jacob sniffed the air. 'They're with Bella!' He bolted ahead of us.

'Jacob, wait!' Sam tried but Jacob didn't hold back. Which forced us all to charge forward without a proper plan in mind other than get the vamp.

A clearing in the trees came into sight and in the middle was Bella with a dark skinned vampire. He was saying something about killing her out of mercy, which just made my skin crawl.

'Get away from her!' Jacob yelled as he chased after the vampire.

Bella looked at all of us in fear, seeming unsure of what to do. I don't blame her. A bunch of horse-sized wolves just popped out of the woods to kill a vampire. If I were in her shoes I'd be shaken too.

I tried to run past her as quickly as I could. I didn't want to see the possible reaction of someone like Jessie finding out about this. It just hit too close to home.

The creature ran quickly, it's small stature made it hard to grab but it's long dreadlocks were a good target. I snapped my jaws around its long hair and Jake went for the kill, tearing it to pieces with the rest of us there to help.

\---

The vampires reappearing in La Push weren't the only problems emerging.

"Bella, told her dad about the wolves! You have to be careful now, Sam. I'll be there to try and get rid of any evidence and divert the situation, but you guys need to make sure you are not seen." Harry Clearwater informed us.

Given the situation we had no choice but to go after the vampire in front of Bella. He was going to kill her. If we didn't save her then we wouldn't have been doing our jobs.

"Thank you, Harry." Sam said. He didn't look happy and I didn't blame him.

Harry nodded then turned to the door, but then looked back at us again. "Oh, there might be a possibility for traps out there, so stand clear of those too. I wouldn't want any of you to land in one of those." He warned.

I winced at the thought. The idea of getting stuck in a trap didn't sound pleasant. All I could think of were those big bear traps you see in the movies.

"We will." Sam said as Harry left.

I sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

"We have to go on. But we also have to be on constant vigil. Be extremely cautious. We'll shorten the patrol times and the size of the groups. I don't like the idea of you guys patrolling by yourselves but I don't see any other option. We have to limit what they could see." Sam rubbed his temples in frustration. He knew something like this would happen. "We can't stop patrols entirely. We already know that red head has been coming around here, who knows how many more there are?" Sam sighed. Her name was Victoria, the Cullens did manage to warn Sam about her before they decided to vacate the area. They basically just left us to pick up their mess, which wasn't appreciated.

"So, no dynamic duo?" Jared motioned to him and Paul.

"No dynamic duo."

Jacob was awkwardly quiet during all of this. Bella was his friend after all. And I know a part of him felt like it was his fault she was there. Like she had only been in the woods like that because he wasn't with her anymore.

I turned to Embry who looked at me with worry. We always patrolled together, so being apart while going out would be strange, and slightly nerve-wracking.

"It'll be fine as long as we're cautious." Sam assured us. "Really cautious."

After that nice chat we all went to school. All through out the week we went on patrols by ourselves. I didn't like not having Embry there with me. It felt wrong. We were always there to watch each others backs. Always.

But besides that, school was going well. Thankfully, during this whole wolf shifting business my grades didn't drop too dramatically. Of course, there were some issues here and there because I didn't have time to study or whatever. But over all it hasn't been too bad.

I still hated school nonetheless. People didn't stare as much as they used to, but I still got the occasional look as I went through the hallway with my friends. Though, I think that's mostly because of how different our group looks compared to everyone else.

Lunchtime has gotten better. I don't feel Jessie glaring at me as much, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. They seemed to have made a new friend. I noticed someone new sitting at Jessie and Quil's table. She's a transfer student apparently. And all Quil can do is stare at her. She's pretty, with dark brown hair and green eyes, but for obvious reasons she's not my type.

And, just between you and me Quil hasn't shown any signs for shifting yet but I think he will. It just makes sense. And honestly I think it would be cruel for everyone else in his friend group to phase except him. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Jessie will find out soon too. I can just feel it. The idea of not lying to her anymore makes me happy but I'm also very scared for her first reaction. That isn't something I'm looking forward to.

The only thing I am happy about is the fact that it's Friday. I am excited about sleeping in, my anxiety has been keeping me up. I don't know why but I just feel like something is going to happen, but I can't tell what that something is or when it'll occur. It's terrifying honestly. The feeling of impending doom hovering over you for no reason. My gut feeling is usually right and I think that's what scares me the most.

"You alright? You seem tense." Embry asked me as we walked to Sam and Emily's house.

"Yeah, I don't know. Something just feels off, ya know? I can't explain it."

"I've felt off too. Anxiety is a bitch." Embry laughed. "I think what makes it worse is not being able to pinpoint your worries." He continued.

"Yeah, exactly." I agreed but then a thought occurred to me. You remember way back when Embry shifted and I felt it? What if he could feel what I felt too, like with my anxiety or something? I don't like that idea, so I shoved it aside. I got nervous and started fiddling with my hands.

Embry's P.O.V.

I looked over at Casey and noticed him acting all nervous. He was digging at his finger nails and biting his lip. I've learned over the years that that is a thing that he does when he's thinking about something that puts him on edge.

"What's wrong?" I asked nonchalantly, trying not to seem overly pushy.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He looked at me with wide eyes.

I smirked. "You're nervous about something." I pointed out.

"No, I'm not." He said putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, you are. What's wrong?" This time I did push.

"Nothing." He said. I know he was lying.

"Casey, you've been acting weird ever since I phased. Please just tell me. I won't judge you."

For a moment it looked like he was gonna tell me how he felt, but just by the look in his eyes I saw him pull back into himself. "It's just that . . ." He started to explain but stopped. "It's nothing, I promise."

I knew not to try to push it out of him so I let it go. I nodded and changed the subject. "So, are you excited for the bonfire tomorrow?"

"Always." He responded with a grateful look on his face.

"I wonder what story your uncle will tell." I continued. "I feel like the cold ones story is pretty relevant to right now." I laughed.

"Yeah, but I don't know. I have a feeling he won't tell it yet."

"Are you always so sure?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nope." He grinned and walked through the front door of Sam and Emily's house.

Casey's P.O.V.

I almost told him. I almost told him about everything I felt. But I didn't, I couldn't. I don't think I'm ready yet to confess whatever I feel for Embry. I don't think I've come to terms with whatever those feelings are. They confuse me, yet at the same time I've never been so sure of how I felt for someone. It's all just a mess in my brain, a puzzle I need to put together. Eventually.

I walked into the living room of Sam and Emily's house with Embry right behind me. I've been staying at Sam's place more than at home. It's just easier that way, but I think I'll actually go home tomorrow. Tonight I had patrol.

I want to see my family, no matter how much it hurts me. I know my mom understands why I've been doing what I've been doing but I know it worries her. She misses me, along with my other family members. And as much as I want them to stay away from me solely so that they stay safe I also want to see them. So, a solution was to have a family supper. Let's just hope dinner doesn't go awry.

"Hey guys." Emily smiled at us from the kitchen. It smelled great. She was making some sort of chicken and man, did it smell good. I was starving, as per usual.

"Hey." We greeted her.

"There's some cookies on the table if your hungry." She then laughed. "I take that back, I know you're hungry." She smiled.

We laughed. "We're always hungry." Embry said.

"Oh trust me, I know. My fridge has paid dearly for you guy's new found appetites." She joked.

"Sorry, you just make the best food."

She smiled. "Glad you guys think so."

Paul walked in groggily and plopped himself on the couch.

"What's up with you?" I asked.

"I wanna take a nap." He said burying himself into the couch and putting a pillow over his face.

"I think it's because he hasn't talked to Jessie yet." Embry whispered to me.

"I agree. You know the old stories Sam told us about not interacting with your imprint enough."

"Shut up. I can hear you, ya know." Paul growled.

"I'm not trying to be quiet." I admitted.

He rolled his eyes then laid back down. He has been a wreck since he imprinted. I felt bad since I get to talk to my imprint and he doesn't. I mean, he could talk to her but there's a high possibility that she would punch him.

\---

The next day came and there was a change of plans for dinner. Apparently, we're having a barbecue during the bonfire tonight. So, no family supper like I had initially thought. But, I do still plan on going home tonight. That is something that hasn't changed.

At the moment we were walking to Jacob's house. We let him sleep all morning because he had a late night patrol. We've all been a bit tired. Being alone takes extra energy out of you mentally, so getting any extra sleep was beyond necessary.

"Food, so much food!" Jared sniffed the air like a dog and smiled from ear to ear.

"You're like a blood hound." Paul said.

"No, I'm like a wolf." Jared countered.

Paul rolled his eyes.

"It does smell good though." I pointed out. "Emily made so much food for tonight. And my mom too! She's cooking up a storm."

"I know. It's making my stomach grumble." Embry patted his stomach.

"We're not even close to the house and I can still smell it." Jared whined.

I turned to Sam. "What is it like to have a literal goddess in the kitchen as your fiancee?"

He smiled. "Let's just say I think I'm the luckiest man alive."

We emerged from the woods and finally arrived at Jacob's house, and that was when everything went to shit.

**_Well then. Poor Casey almost told Embry how he felt. Aaah, when are these boys gonna just confess to each other? Damn! Lol_ **

**_Also, shit is about to go down in the next chapter._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies._ **


	12. Chapter Twelve: The Flames

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[The fire light that flashed across his face made his eyes shine. I wanted to stare at how the flames danced in them,]_

__

  
  
~~~

Bella Swan stormed out of Billy's house and started yelling at us.

"What did you do?!" Bella stomped up to Sam and shoved him. "What did you do to him?!"

Paul and I lurched forward on instinct. "Hey, easy!" He commanded making me stand still.

"He didn't want this!" She continued.

"What did we do? What did he tell you?" Paul questioned.

"Calm down!" Sam grabbed Paul by the arm and pulled him back.

"Nothing! He tells me nothing because he's scared of you." She said to which I snorted.

Bella then turned to me with anger in her eyes. "You're his family, and you abandoned him! You left him and Jessie wondering what the hell happened to you! And now that you fell off the boat you dragged him down with you!" She pointed a finger at my chest.

"You don't know anything!" I growled. I felt the wolf inside me trying to claw its way out. The anger a shapeshifter gets is a thousand times that of a normal person. Everything is amplified.

That was when that anger diminished. Embry grabbed my arm. "Casey, don't." He warned.

"You're right. I don't know. But you sure as hell deserve to tell Jessie why you don't talk to her!"

"Leave Jessie out of this!" That wasn't my voice. That was Paul and he was fuming.

"Paul!" Sam yelled.

"You don't get to have a say about her. You're one of the reasons her brothers aren't around anymore." She continued.

"I had nothing to do with it!"

"Bullshit!" That was when I heard a distinct slap.

Everyone went silent. Paul suddenly started to shake and hyperventilate. He had finally lost his hold over all of the pent up anger he's been keeping inside and his wolf has taken control.

"Oh, now you've done it." Jared remarked.

"Oh, shit." I mumbled.

"Paul, calm down!" Sam tried but then realized that Paul was going to shift. "Bella, get back!"

She backed away fearfully.

And that was when Paul shifted and all that was left was an angry grey wolf.

"Well, fuck." I heard Embry say under his breath at the scene in front of him.

Bella ran. I don't blame her. If I was in her situation I'd probably do the same thing. Hell, when I was the one that shifted I ran.

"Bella!" I redirected my attention to Jacob who was now very much awake. He jumped over his porch railing and ran towards Bella.

"Run, Jacob!" She ran to him, but he continued running towards us. "Jake, run!"

That was when Jacob jumped over Bella and phased.

Paul still wanted a fight. I could tell by the way he continued moving towards Bella. And well, Jacob was having none of that.

Paul growled at Jacob and Jacob snarled back. And soon both Paul and Jacob had started to fight and at some point rolled off into the woods.

Embry, Jared and I were too shocked to really say anything. Well, I wasn't. "That escalated quickly." I laughed nervously.

Em snorted. "Always gotta say something, don't you?" He then suddenly looked at my arm where he had been holding on to me. He then pulled away. "Uh, sorry."

I blushed. "No." I smiled. "Thank you."

Sam interrupted this touching moment. "Hey, take Bella back to me and Emily's place." Sam said to us and ran after Paul and Jacob.

Oh, and don't worry. They weren't really fighting each other. It was more of a scuffle to let Paul calm the fuck down.

"The wolf's out of the bag." Embry joked.

"Wow, I think you've been around me too long. My stupid puns are rubbing off on you." I laughed.

"I learn from the best." He responded.

"Yeah, the best at making bad jokes." Jared responded as we walked up to Bella.

She looked shocked. I don't think any sane person wouldn't be.

We took Bella's truck back to Sam's place, the ride there was awkward to say the least.

Embry drove, while Bella rode shotgun. Me and Jared sat in the back in the truck bed, but the back window was open so we could talk to the people inside.

"Well, uh, I can't say I was expecting that." Bella suddenly said.

We all laughed. "How do you think we felt when we suddenly turned into big ass wolves?" Embry said. "I thought I was dying when I first phased."

"I think we all did." I agreed.

"So, that's why Jake hasn't been around and why you don't talk to Jessie anymore?"

"I don't want to hurt her." I said with a heavy heart.

"I think you've already done that whether you like it or not." Bella said truthfully. "I suggest you try talking to her. Obviously, not about the wolf stuff but just talk to her. She misses you." She continued.

I nodded. "I'm trying to figure it out."

She laughed. "What is it with boys and having no communication skills?"

"Communication skills?" Jared scoffed. "I can talk to anyone about anything."

"Well then you're an outlier." I was glad she was making light of the situation at least. It made us all feel less on edge.

The truck stopped in front of the house and we all hopped out. We whooped to announce our presence like the weirdos we are.

A thought then occurred to Bella. "Hey, I think we should go back and see if Jacob's okay."

"I hope Paul sinks some teeth in him. Serves him right." Jared joked.

Bella looked shocked by the comment.

"No way! Jacob's a natural. Did you see him phase on the fly? I doubt he'll even touch him."

"That was pretty smooth. You've gotta admit that." I said to Jared.

"Yeah, sure." He shook his head and began to walk inside.

I then turned around to Bella who I could still tell was nervous. "Hey, Bella. Come on in. It's okay." I tried to reassure her.

"We won't bite!" Embry added.

"Speak for yourself!" Jared retorted jokingly.

She sighed then hopped out of the truck and walked up to us.

"Oh, hey, about Emily, Sam's fiancé, don't stare." Embry said.

She looked confused.

"It bugs Sam." I added.

"Why would I stare?" She asked.

"You'll see." I said. She nodded hesitantly and we all went into the house that smelled amazing. I was so hungry and I felt like stress eating.

"You guys hungry?" Emily paused. "Like I have to ask." She mused.

"Being a wolf has turned me into a glutton." I said.

"It's not gluttony if it's a necessity." Embry responded.

Jared took a big bite out of his food.

"Okay, maybe for him it is." Embry added with a laugh.

Jared looked at us with a confused expression. "What?" He said with a mouth full of food.

Bella then entered the house and Emily turned around. Bella seemed surprised by her scars but didn't mention it.

"Who's this?" Emily asked.

"Bella Swan, who else?" Embry said.

"Are you honestly surprised?" I added.

She smiled at the girl. "Hm, so you're the vampire girl?" Emily remarked.

Bella hesitated then spoke. "So, you're the wolf girl?"

"Oh snap!" I said.

Emily chuckled. "I guess so. Well, I'm engaged to one." She put down a plate of muffins on the table.

"Yes!" I said excitedly and grabbed one.

"Don't mind if I do." Embry picked up a muffin.

"Save some for your brothers! And ladies first! Muffin?" Emily asked Bella.

"Sure, thanks." The girl said and grabbed a muffin.

"Leave it to Jacob to find a way around Sam's gag order." Said Emily.

"Um, he didn't say anything to me." Bella explained, obviously trying to stick up for her friend.

"That's a wolf thing. Alpha's orders get obeyed whether we want them to or not." I told her.

"Oh, and check it out. We can read each others thoughts." Embry added and poked me in the head.

"Ow."

"Would you two shut up! These are trade secrets, dammit! This chick runs with vampires!" Jared exclaimed.

"You can't really run with vampires. 'Cause they're fast." Bella retorted.

"Yeah, well, we're faster." Jared responded confidently.

I couldn't agree nor disagree with that statement. I'm not sure whether or not we're faster. To be honest, I think it comes pretty close.

"Freaked out yet?" I asked her.

She chuckled. "You're not the first monsters I've met."

I didn't like the term monster, but I agreed with it. I just hope that when Jessie finds out she's this chill about it.

Sam suddenly walked in. "Jake's right. You're good with weird." He then kissed Emily lovingly.

That's when the two knuckle heads that got us into this mess walked in shoving and pushing each other playfully.

Paul shuffled into the kitchen and sat down while Jake leaned against the door frame.

Bella looked at him and all of her worry seemed to wash away.

She really did care about him. I don't think in the way Jacob wanted but she did still care.

Paul said a simple 'sorry' and grabbed a muffin happily. He seemed much better. I guess getting attacked by your friends is just what you need sometimes to get you out of your funk.

Jacob then nodded to Bella which meant that he wanted to talk. Man, that's a conversation I don't wanna be apart of.

"Have fun." I commented as they left.

"Now all we have to do is make sure Jessie doesn't find out like that and I think we're good." Jared said.

"Yeah, knowing her she wouldn't have ran. She would've somehow still found a way to kick my ass." Paul said.

\---

"Let's put the chairs over there and the tables right here." My mom directed us.

"But we just moved the tables over here." I argued.

"Well, I think they should be here instead." My mom grinned. "I have to go back inside to check on the food. And when I come back out I want these moved please."

I plopped myself down into a chair. "Paul, Jared, you can do this one. Me and Em have lifted enough."

"Lazy ass." Jared responded.

They laughed.

"Your point?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fair enough."

Today has since calmed down from the situation that occurred earlier. Bella promised not to tell anyone and I trust her. I mean, she did date a vampire and didn't tell anyone, so I'm sure she won't tell our secret. I don't think she has it in her honestly.

"It'll just give you guys a better chance to show off your muscles." Embry stated.

Paul scoffed. "For who?"

Embry pointed to the girl standing in the doorway, that girl being my sister.

"Oh." Jared nudged Paul. "Oooooooohh, it's your imprint. Flex your arm or something so she thinks you look hot." He said blatantly.

I felt myself growl.

"Shut up, Jare!" Paul slapped him.

I know Jessie couldn't hear their childish bantering but she didn't look pleased to see us. She rolled her eyes and turned back inside. "Mom?" I heard her call.

"Hey, Jared. I have a small request. Please don't talk about my sister like that. M'kay? Or next time I'll kick your ass." I said calmly.

Embry and everyone else seemed taken aback by this.   
But there goes Jared being Jared.

"Oh really? I'd like to see you try. Bring it." He continued.

I grinned. "You asked for it!" I stood up and got into a praying mantis pose like in karate kid. "Your move."

"What the hell?" Paul said.

"Oh boy." Embry laughed. He knew what was coming.

"Argh!" Jared lunged forward but never got to me as I swiftly kicked him in the balls before he could get close enough to tackle me. "Jesus Christ on a mother fucking bicycle!" Jared winced as he fell to the ground in pain.

"Holy shit, dude. You killed him." Paul said.

"Well, if you act like a dick, I'll kick you in the dick." I folded my arms triumphantly and sat back down again.

Embry fist bumped me. "Still not as funny as the time you did that to Quil. The words that came out of his mouth that day, oh man. I thought he ate a thesaurus." Embry laughed at the memory. 

"Yeah, a proud moment for sure." I reminisced. "You ever miss the old times?" I asked Em.

"Everyday. But, you can't always focus on the past, or else you'll never be ready for the future."

"Wise words with Embry." I said again.

He laughed lightly. "Casey, I-"

"What do you mean you can't come tonight?" Jessie said angrily to her phone as she walked out of the house again.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I feel awful. I don't think I'll make it through the first story. I'm just too tired." She was talking to Quil.

We all stopped to listen in. It was especially a red flag when hearing that another La Push boy has fallen ill, that raises alarm.

"It's fine. Just try to get some rest, okay?"

She hung up and turned to us. We were all staring at her.

She then flipped us off.

"What? We didn't even do anything?" Paul said. I was surprised he managed to say anything.

"Didn't have to!" She said while she went into Billy's house.

"She's an angry little thing." Jared announced. "Paul, she's perfect for you." Jared said still laying on the ground.

Paul blushed. "Shut up, dipshit!"

"This boy just doesn't learn, does he?" I said to Embry.

"Nope!" He laughed.

It wasn't until around sundown when people started to show up. It was mostly other family members, my friends families and the Clearwater's. Which was fine by me. New people scare me.

We all grabbed a plate, or two if you're me and my friends and sat around the fire.

I sat next to Embry and Jacob. Which was after Jacob came back from his shift and his long chat with Bella. He said it went well, and I knew he wasn't lying by the way he spoke, like the weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

I looked over at Embry who was filling his face with the beef stew my mom made. The fire light that flashed across his face made his eyes shine. I wanted to stare at how the flames danced in them, but my time was cut short when he suddenly looked up at me.

"What?" He asked.

I felt myself blush at my weirdness. "Uh, you have food on your face." I blurted.

He shrugged. "Saving it for later."

"Classic, Embry." I laughed.

Embry's P.O.V.

I would be lying if I didn't notice him staring. I don't think I could ignore it even if I wanted to. Every time he looked at me I could feel the hairs on my neck tingle and I got chills. I had to fight the feeling of looking back at him. It made me curious of what was going through his head. Man, what I would do to be able to read his mind when we weren't wolves. Now that would make things a lot easier.

Casey's P.O.V.

"Alright, everyone. It has grown late and I think it's time for all of us to get some rest." Uncle Billy announced.

Everyone said their goodbyes and headed home.

I yawned. I didn't realize how tired I was. That food hit me just the right way and now all I wanted to do was go to bed.

"Get some sleep tonight. I know you need it." Embry advised me.

"Yes, mom." I said while rubbing my eyes.

A moment of silence came between us and it seemed like Em wanted to tell me something."Good night, Casey." His voice sounded different, like that wasn't what he actually wanted to say. It was as though there was a hidden meaning behind those words.

"Good night, Em." I said as I walked into my house somehow feeling flustered. How did this boy make me feel this way?

"Hey baby. You tired?" My mom asked.

"Yeah. All tuckered out." I said while rubbing my eyes.

"Well, that's because you're up all night protecting us." My dad said. Oh yeah, my dad knows too. You really think my mom would just know? Oh hell no, like that would ever work in my family.

"Eh. I gotta do what I gotta do." I responded nonchalantly.

"We know." He then pulled me into a hug and so did my mom. It felt good. "Alright. Good night, kiddo." My dad said.

"Good night, lovey." My mom kissed my forehead.

"Good night." I went upstairs and did my nightly rounds of saying good night to my sisters. Yes, I know what you might be thinking. Casey, if you wanna stay away from your sisters then why are you saying goodnight to them? Well, the answer to that is old habits die hard. And plus, I love them.

"Good night, Luna." I said to my little sister as I passed her room.

She responded with a grin then tucked herself into bed. I couldn't help but smile at her. She's the sweetest thing in the world. She hasn't held any ill will towards me during this whole time. I appreciated it. It was hard enough having to deal with Jessie, but it would've been extra hard if Luna had acted the same way.

"Good night, Jess." I said to Jessie as I passed her door, but she didn't respond. I stopped and looked into her room. She was just sitting there with an angry look on her face staring out the window. I looked closer to see her staring at Paul as he and Jared left for the night.

"He's not that bad, ya know." I said to her, which seemed to startle her.

"What?"

"He's nicer than you think. They all are."

She scrunched her eyebrows. "Like I care." She scoffed.

I sighed. "Sorry, for bothering you." I said and began to close the door.

"No, you wait just a minute. Get your ass over here. This is already the longest conversation I've had with you in weeks. Don't you find that depressing?"

"Yes." I said truthfully.

"Why Casey? Why did you leave? What happened to you?"

"I haven't gone anywhere. I'm still here. I'm still your brother."

"If that were true maybe you wouldn't be acting the way you are right now. So again, I am asking you why?"

"I don't know, Jess." I lied. Bad answer.

"You don't know?! How can you not know? You just one day went, oh I know what I'm gonna do today, let's forget my friends and family ever existed and join a cult."

"It's not like that. They're my friends. They need me. You don't understand-"

"I would if you'd just tell me!" I could feel how desperate those words were. They came from a vulnerable place in her heart. It broke me.

"I can't Jessie. I want to, but I can't."

"I don't care about what you want! All I want back is my brother!" Jessie cried out. Tears were streaming down her face and it shattered me knowing that I was the reason for them.

I felt my own tears stinging at my eyes and my throat hurt. "I-I . . . I'm sorry."

I staggered backwards out of the room. I could no longer breathe. I felt like the walls were caving in on me and I had to get out. I had to run.

I felt my feet touch the grass, which soon turned into the dirt surrounding the forest floor as my body shifted from boy to wolf. It let out some of the pent up emotions I have been feeling for so long.

I wasn't that deep in the woods when I shifted, I felt so hurt and disappointed in myself I hadn't even realized that I had been followed.

I let out a soft whimper as I plopped myself down like a dog and covered my face with my paws.

I heard a soft gasp come from behind me making me spring up, forgetting the emotions I was just feeling. I was now on high alert.

I looked straight ahead and saw the shocked face of the one, the only, Jessie Apha.

'Shit.'

She held a fearful, yet intrigued expression on her face. "Casey?"

I stepped forward trying to think about talking to her and maybe explaining what the fuck she had just witnessed. But she backed up on instinct and something else quickly became apparent to me.

'Jessie don't!' I lurched forward and pushed her out of the way.

_Snap!_

**_Oop-. Well, Jessie knows now. Well, kinda anyways. She's going to though. I assure you. I don't wanna spoil too much now so continue onto the next chapter._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (blood warning!!!)

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_["You make the pain go away."]_

__

~~~

The pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn't even feel myself phase back to human. All I could focus on was my arm which was awkwardly lodged inside of a fucking bear trap.   
  


It doesn't matter how high of a pain tolerance you have when it comes to these things. The constant pressure of pointed metal in your skin will make anyone cry.

I cried out as I moved and felt the already deep metal pull at my skin that much more. "Argh! Ah!" I yelled.

"Casey!" Jessie seemed to have sprung out of whatever shock she was in previously.   
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Why did you do that? Oh my god, look at you." She whimpered at the scene in front of her.

"I-I'm s-sorry." I stuttered then let out another pain filled cry.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. I forgive you. You're gonna be fine. Oh my god, you're bleeding really bad."

"It's n-not o-okay." I winced.

"Casey, shut up. We can have a heart to heart when your arm isn't stuck in a fucking bear trap!"

I couldn't help but laugh. But it didn't last for long as for when I moved, even from that slight chuckle, it made it hurt that much more. I yelled out again.

"Try to breathe. I know it hurts. I'm trying to look for the latch. It's so fucking dark." She shuffled around her pockets and pulled out a tiny little key chain flashlight. Now that was lucky. Well, maybe not so lucky considering I'm currently in a beartrap.

"Okay, uncle Jack from Alaska thank you for your trapping knowledge." She placed her hands on either side of the bear trap and looked at me. "Look, it's Embry." She nodded off to the distance.

"What? Where?" I felt the metal exit my skin making me yelp. "What the-"

"Sorry, had to distract you."

"Ha, ha. Ow." I couldn't move my fingers without pain shooting up my arm. I know I'm supposed to have super healing or whatever, but that only really works for things like bruises and minor scratches. Cuts take a bit longer to heal. Not as long as a normal person, but it still takes some time. Maybe by tomorrow morning? I don't know. All I can think about is how bad my fucking arm hurts. The way the metal had indented my skin made it look like a shark had bitten me. I looked away then back down again to see that it was bleeding, my whole hand was red. Just looking at it made me feel dizzy. It was like I could feel the blood exiting my body and the oxygen in my brain had been depleted.

"Don't look at it." Jessie said while taking off her sweatshirt.

"Don't, you'll get-"

"Casey, you really need to shut the fuck up." She said as she gently grabbed my arm. "I have to wrap it. You're losing too much blood."

I only nodded. I didn't feel like arguing.

I winced as I felt the clothing tighten around my skin. The pressure made my fingers go numb, but I could still move them. I don't know if that's a good sign or not.

"We need to get you to a hospital." She said suddenly pulling me to my feet.

"No, I can't. Th-there are too many problems with that." I felt like I barely had the energy to push out my words. "Take me to Sam's place."

"But Casey-"

"Please!" I begged and winced again. "J-just trust me."

She put my free arm over her shoulder to support me. "I trust you. But, I can't see where I'm going."

"I'll direct you. Just k-keep going straight." Us wolves have above human abilities. We can hear better, smell better, and overall see better.

"Maybe we should go home." Jessie suggested. "It's closer."

"No, I d-don't want them to see me like this."

She nodded and we started moving. I was grateful that Sam's house was only about a mile away. We could make it. Well, I hoped we could make it. I was afraid of passing out.

"So, you're a werewolf?"

I laughed. I know she was both trying to distract me and answer her own questions.

"No. I'm a sh-shapeshifter. I don't phase with the moon. It's in our blood. Some guys phase, some d-do not."

"And Jacob and Embry? They're ones too?"

I nodded.

"Holy shit. Some secret, Casey. Jesus Christ."

"I know. I c-could barely believe it m-myself."

"What about Sam and his goons?"

"They've helped me through all of th-this. S-Sam is our Alpha."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I w-wanted to keep you s-safe from me."

"What? You would never hurt me."

"The anger of the wolf fucks you up, Jessie." I managed to say without stuttering. "S-sometimes you can't control it. A-and I didn't want you to be there if that happened."

Jessie stayed silent then she let out a sigh. "Well, I know now and there's nothing you can do about it. So, from now on promise me, no more ignoring me. Deal?"

"Deal." I felt my head bob forward as I felt it increasingly become harder to keep myself going. I could see their house now, just a few more yards.

"Stay with me, Casey." Jessie noticed my silence and we quickened our pace. Or more correctly, she quickened her pace and dragged me along. She's a strong lady.

"Hey! Help!" She yelled.

I felt my eyes flutter as I heard my name get called by my pack.

"Casey!" It was Embry. "H-hey, look at me. It's your old pal, Embry." He put his hands on my face to hold my head up. "Casey, keep your eyes open." A calmness swept across my body. One that got rid of the searing pain in my arm.

I felt myself put on a dorky smile as I opened my eyes slightly. "Em?"

"Yeah, bud. It's me." If I was more conscious of my surroundings I would've noticed the fear in his voice, one I've never heard before.

"You make the pain go away." I absent-mindedly said and that was when everything became dark.

Embry's P.O.V.

"Casey!" He suddenly dropped into my arms. "No, no, no, no, hey! Look at me!"

"Get him inside!" Sam commanded.

I could barely react. I was walking home when suddenly I felt something stab my arm. When I looked down to see what the hell had just happened bruises appeared all across my arm in the shape of a huge bite mark. And almost as quickly as it happened I knew what those bruises meant. I knew something had happened to Casey. I just knew. My gut feeling was screaming at me to run to Sam's house because for some reason the little voice in my head told me that would be where he was. It wasn't until I just arrived when I saw Jessie emerge from the woods with Casey in her arms.

In that moment my heart stopped beating. He was hurt, Casey was hurt.

But what really caught me off guard was his whole making the pain go away comment. How can someone have the ability to take away pain like that?

"Put him on the couch!"

It was only Sam, Jessie and I. I know the others will show up soon. We might not be able to read each others thoughts when we're human, but we sure as hell know when something is wrong with one of our pack mates. It's an instinctual feeling.

Emily came out of one of the rooms holding a first aid kit in her hands. "You guys are so lucky I studied nursing in college." She said as she knelt down next to Casey and peeled off the now bloodied sweatshirt. "Only you would get yourself in a mess like this." She said to Casey as she went through the the first aid kit. "Sam, get me some wet towels."

He did so quickly, not wasting anytime.

She began to clean off the wounds and Casey started to wince in his unconscious state.

I don't know what came over me but I suddenly grabbed his free hand and just held it in mine reassuringly, both for me and for him. And as crazy as it sounds he stopped whimpering. He had calmed down entirely and better yet, his hand grabbed mine back.

God dammit, Casey! I'm supposed to be sad, don't make me blush.

I know everyone noticed but nobody said anything.

Emily continued her work of stitching him up. He had already stopped bleeding which meant the wolf healing was taking affect. Cuts take longer to heal than bruises, why you might ask? I have no fucking idea.

Paul and Jared suddenly rushed into the house. "What the fuck happened?" Paul questioned as he looked at Casey.

A sigh resonated from Jessie making Paul spin around. "He saved me." She said quietly.

"From what?" Jared asked.

"I almost stepped in a beartrap and he pushed me out of the way and got himself lodged in it instead." Jessie continued.

"Are _you_ okay?" Paul suddenly asked her.

She looked surprised by his genuine concern. She then nodded. "Yeah, better then I could've been." She motioned towards Casey.

"Classic Casey." Paul responded.

"How is he?" Jared asked.

"He'll be fine. I just have to wrap it up now. It might sting for a bit after though." Emily began to wrap up his arm with an ace bandage. Casey winced from the pressure and squeezed my hand. I let him.

"What happened?" Jacob suddenly burst through the door. "Oh my god, Casey!" He went up to his cousin with worry on his face. "What happened to him?"

"Bear trap." Jessie said.

Jacob turned to Jessie. "Jess?"

"She knows." I spoke up.

Jacob sighed. "Of course she does." He went up to her and big brother mode kicked in. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Jake." Jessie said tiredly. "He pushed me out of the way before I got hurt." She motioned to Casey again.

"Of course he did." Jacob almost laughed. I think more out of nerves than of humor.

And with those words came a silence that spread across the room. The only thing you could hear was Casey's heavy breathing.

"Okay, all fixed." Emily stood up and closed the first aid kit.

I let out a sigh of relief and felt a tear escape my eye. I wiped it away quickly.

I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder. It was Sam who had been very quiet throughout this whole situation. He nodded at me to which I responded with another nod.

"Well, that was a shit show." Jared disrupted the silence.

"Agreed." Said Jake.

Emily broke the awkwardness in the room and turned to Jessie. "Let's get you cleaned up, honey." Emily motioned for her to follow.

Jessie nodded quietly and followed her, which left all of us alone.

"What are we gonna do?" Jake asked Sam as he looked at Casey.

Sam rubbed his neck and shook his head. "I don't know."

"You don't know? How do you not know? You're our alpha." Jared asked quietly. He wasn't being rude, he just seemed scared.

"I don't know." Sam repeated. He sighed. "This shouldn't have happened."

"Guys, Keep your voices down. Let him rest." I said looking at Casey. He was still holding my hand. I grabbed a nearby chair with my free hand and sat down next to him. I wasn't ever gonna let him go.

Sam nodded. "We'll figure this out in the morning. I'll take patrol tonight, you guys just go home." Sam decided.

"I'm not going anywhere." I announced.

Everyone turned to me, but didn't say anything.

"Me either." Jessie said as she came out of the room with Emily. She was wearing a new pair of clothes and her hair was now braided. I know that was Emily's doing.

"You can stay on the other couch if ya want?" Emily offered.

Sam looked at her warily.

"What? She's apart of this family now. She's welcome to stay." Emily has now adopted Jessie.

I let out a small laugh.

"I wouldn't mess with Emily, Sam." Jared said.

Sam grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it." He turned to Jess. "I guess all I have to say is make sure you don't tell anyone."

Jessie gave a nervous smile. "Of course. I wouldn't want to put you all in jeopardy like that."

"Good. Then we have no problems." Sam finalized and got ready to go on his patrol. He turned around and noticed no one was leaving to go home. "None of you are leaving, are you?"

"Nope." Said Paul.

"Casey's a pain in the ass, but he's our friend." Jared responded.

"We have a good pack here." Emily smiled.

"Agreed." Said Sam and he left the house. I figured he was going to do a full sweep of La Push for anymore bear traps, or any traps for that matter.

The room got quiet again. "Alright guys, it's getting late. I'm gonna head to bed since I know none of you are. If you guys need anything you know where I am." Emily said and then walked down the hallway and into her room.

"I'm gonna go get some air." Jessie announced and stood up.

"Don't step in a beartrap." Jared joked.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Too soon?" Jared responded.

She shook her head at his antics and walked outside. She did smile though, so that was a game changer.

"Dipshit." Paul slapped Jared upside the head.

"Ow!"

I laughed. "He's gonna be happy knowing he doesn't have to lie to her anymore." I said still looking at Casey.

"I am too." Jake said. "Seems that everyone I've been hiding this secret from has found out today." His eyes suddenly got wide. "Speaking of finding out things. I better give Aunt Nora a call just to tell her where her kids went." He stood up and grabbed the telephone.

"Glad it's not me telling her." Jared said sitting back in his armchair.

Paul then stood up. "I'm gonna go check on Jessie."

Jacob pulled the phone from his face and pointed a finger at Paul. "Don't fuck this up, Lahote. Or I'll kick your ass."

"Okay, jeez." Paul said and stepped outside.

"What, no. I wasn't talking to you Aunt Nora." Jacob resumed his conversation with his aunt.

I laughed.

Jared looked outside. "I hope he doesn't fuck this up. He's been dying to talk to her since he imprinted." Jared said.

"Why didn't he?" I asked. "Scared she would punch him?" I suggested.

"Scared of falling in love." Jared said truthfully.

My grin fell. I understood what he meant. The fear of loving someone and losing them, now that was something I was most afraid of. At least not telling Casey how I felt still kept him around as my friend. If he rejected those feelings then I would lose him. So, at least this way I still had him with me.

I heard a laugh come from outside. "Wow, are they laughing? Not arguing? Holy shit, it's a miracle." Jared said.

"Agreed." I smiled. At least they were starting to get along now. The start of a good friendship, or possibly more. I guess we'll just have to see.

"I'm gonna get some sleep. You should grab a couch before they come back in." Jared said as he snuggled into the couch and reclined the sofa.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay right here."

Jared smirked lightly and nodded. "You guys really do deserve each other." He responded then closed his eyes. He didn't say that in a Jared way, it actually sounded genuine.

When Jessie and Paul came back inside Jessie took the other armchair and Paul took the floor. Well, Paul made sure he took the floor, if you know what I mean. And well I stayed in my chair and leaned against the back of the couch Casey was laying on. I laid my head over my arm leaving our hands dangerously close to my face. But I didn't care.

He was alright and that's all that mattered to me.   
  


**_Ahhh, my sweet baby boys. Embry won't tell Casey how he feels because he's afraid he'd reject them and they'd no longer be friends. Aaaah, how wrong can he be?!_ **

**_But hey, on a better note Paul and Jessie are on speaking terms now. I'm glad she finally knows. I'm excited to write her and all the boys together and not have them be arguing the whole time. Well, besides friendly banter anyways._ **

**_Oh, and keep in mind Quil is definitely joining the group soon. Hehe, so be excited for that._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Changes

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[It made me feel so alive, yet at the same time I was terrified.]_

__

~~~

The room was dark when I awoke, but I could see everyone asleep around me. They stayed with me. That little fact made me feel happy on the inside. Even Jessie was still here. That was something that made me even happier. She was here and here to stay. Just how I wanted it to be.

But then a thought occurred to me. Where was Embry?

I moved slightly then realized my right hand was clasped in someone else's. I looked up to see Embry fast asleep resting his head on the top of the couch. Our hands were intertwined with one another and I found myself blushing uncontrollably. I was suddenly glad the room was dark.

And just like a week ago I found myself staring at Embry sleeping. He looked so peaceful and I envied that. I wish I could sleep soundly like him.

When I had passed out there wasn't anything for me to dream about. My mind was just dark and vacant. Like my brain had been switched off. That was when I realized that I had fainted. I must've freaked everyone out, especially Embry. Maybe that was the reason he was holding my hand so tightly, like he didn't wanna lose me.

Our hands rested closely to his face, so close that a simple motion would touch his sun-kissed cheeks. And something within me wanted to. I wanted to touch his warm skin and hold him close to me. I never wanted to let him go.

And with that thought I suddenly pressed my thumb gently across his cheek and slightly caressed his skin.

This simple action made my heart feel as though it would burst from my chest.

Em suddenly stirred making me stop moving entirely and I felt myself hold my breath.

"Case?" Em opened his eyes slowly. "How long have you been awake?" His voice was all raspy.

"Not long." I forced myself to speak.

He quickly sat up and stretched. He then looked down at our intertwined fingers and widened his eyes. He quickly let go of me. "I'm sorry, I-"

I cut him off. "Have you been sleeping in that chair all night." I sat up and stretched out as well. I ignored his apology.

He looked at me funny then nodded. "Yeah, it's fine though." He told me.

I moved my legs so the other half of the couch was open. "Sit." I motioned to the other side of the sofa.

He grinned lightly then sat down beside me. We sat very close to one another and funny enough I wanted to sit closer. He was like a magnet pulling me in.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

I looked down at my bandaged arm. "It's okay, still sore though." I said.

An idea seemed to come to Embry as he suddenly put his hand on my shoulder. I let out a small gasp as all, if not most of the pain just stopped. Like it just disappeared from existence.

"What?" Embry asked.

"The pain, it just, you, um-" I stammered.

"I made the pain go away?" He made an expression that was both full of wonder and happiness.

"Y-yes." I stuttered. I couldn't focus, I felt dizzy, like I was drunk on his touch. "You make the pain go away." I said again.

He seemed to smile then. Almost like what I had just said answered the question he had been asking in his head. "Then, um, maybe I should stay with you tonight." He grabbed my hand slowly and full of caution. "Ya know? Um, to help with the pain."

"Maybe you should." I said absently while resting my head on his shoulder. All remaining pain left me. It was gone. It wasn't confidence that led me to do what I had just done, it was something else. Some sort of inner feeling that just said go.

"C-Casey, I-" he started.

"Don't, just don't say anything." I cut him off. I wasn't ready to have this conversation yet. I just wasn't. "I can't, not yet." I said quietly.

I felt him nod and lean back into the couch with me on his shoulder.

"Then get some rest. You need it."

In that moment I was almost happy I was hit by that bear trap. It lead me to this moment with Embry. To be this close to him and have him be alright with it. The bear trap just gave me an excuse to somewhat be open with him, like this. It made me feel so alive, yet at the same time I was terrified.

\---

"Awe, they're so cute. Where's my camera?" It was Emily's voice.

"They're cuddling." Jessie awed.

As I started to wake up, I felt my hand lying on top of someone's chest and my pillow was someone's shoulder. I was wedged in between the couch and someone else's body, and I was comfortable there, content even. It didn't occur to me until after I woke up that it was Embry.

My brain had barely started running when a loud sneeze echoed through the room scaring the ever loving shit out of me. I jumped up quickly and yelled out of fear. When I sprung up I wacked my hand on the side of the couch making me yelp loudly.

Embry then jumped up as well from the sudden commotion and let out a shriek of sorts and fell off the couch.

"Ah! What the fuck!" I exclaimed.

"Ow!" Embry whined while rubbing his head.

"Jared! Why did you have to ruin it?!" Emily scolded Jared for sneezing.

"I'm sorry. I had to sneeze!" He defended.

"She was gonna take a picture and everything." Jessie smiled.

"I'm sorry, my body chooses to do what it wants. I can't control it!" He argued.

Emily suddenly started to burst out laughing as she held the camera in her hands. "Well, I caught something alright." She giggled.

Jessie looked at the Polaroid and laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" I questioned while cradling my arm.

"Look." Emily showed us the photo of Em and I screaming and flailing around like idiots.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Embry said sarcastically.

"That's going in the scrap book." Emily laughed and walked off.

"You okay?" I asked Em, who was now sitting on the floor.

He laughed lightly. "Yeah. Just surprised me, that's all." He said while getting up.

It seemed like we were both not going to mention what had just happened.

"How's your hand?" Jess asked.

"Fine. Would be better if I didn't wack it." I said to Jared.

"Look, I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say it?" He crossed his arms.

"Where's everyone else?" Em asked.

"They went to gather up all of the traps." Jared explained.

"Then why are you here?"

"To keep and eye on us." Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Eye on us? For what?"

"For just in case anything happened and I needed to rush to Sam."

"But I was here." Embry countered.

"You were asleep."

"Oh please." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm just following orders." Jared threw his hands up. "You guys were off cuddling and I was off defending."

I saw Embry tense up.

"Cool it, Jare. Hopefully some breakfast will lighten the mood." Emily came back out to the living room and kitchen area. "There's still some muffins from yesterday to hold you over until I'm done making pancakes."

"Ooh, muffin!" Jared totally disregarded what we were just talking about and went straight for the food.

"Muffins sound good to me." I said standing up next to Embry, who still seemed tense after Jared's comment.   
I put a hand on his shoulder and that seemed to stir him. "C'mon." I raised my eyebrows at him and it seemed to get him back on track again.

"Food sounds good." He finally agreed.

We then heard Sam and the others come back from their not so fun scavenger hunt. Sam gave Emily a kiss and grabbed one of the muffins on the table.

"We think we got them all." Jake said.

"We know we got them all. I searched those woods all night until I found every last one of those things. No one should be stepping in one of those anytime soon." Sam said half gesturing to me. "How're ya feeling, kid?"

"Fine. Could be worse." I shrugged truthfully.

"Well, you did have Embry there with ya all night to keep ya safe." Jake teased.

Embry gave me a nervous look but I only replied with a confident grin. "Yeah, ya know what? That makes me a pretty lucky guy to have a close friend be there for me like that."

"I think they're more than friends in my opinion." Jake muttered to himself.

Emily cleared her throat. "Coffee?"

"Perfect." Sam said and grabbed a cup for everyone who wanted some.

Embry's P.O.V.

My god, I fell asleep with him on top of me and I wasn't even conscious of it. I didn't even think twice about it. It just happened and-and if felt so natural. Like it was something that we have done a million times, as if it was normal.

Every time one of my friends had a dig at what they saw I couldn't help but freeze. It felt like every time they pointed it out Casey would suddenly realize I felt something for him and he'd run away from me. Though, at this point we both knew my excuse to hold his hand like that last night was a load of bullshit. Yet, he wasn't mad. He wasn't angry, he just played it off. I feel like the roles have been switched. I'm supposed to be the smooth talker, but now it seems Casey is the one who's overly calm. It made me feel better.

That was when the thought occurred to me that maybe one day I could be with him like that and not be so afraid. To just love him openly and freely. To hold his hand, to kiss him. To just be with him and never have to worry about anything but us. Now that was a dream of mine. The reason I sleep so soundly at night. It's because of Casey Apha.

Casey's P.O.V.

It was time to go back home. I'm sure my parents were worried sick about me and Jessie. Probably more worried about me considering I was the one who had gotten hurt.

"Oh my god, Casey! What were you thinking? Oh my goodness! I was so worried!" My mom bombarded us as we opened the front door.

"Nice to see you too, mom." Jessie joked.

"Oh!" She grabbed her into a hug too. "I love you both."

"My question is how the hell did you do it?" My dad asked.

I gave him a nervous laugh. "It's a long story."

Embry's P.O.V.

After Casey left with Jessie Sam went to the police department about setting traps in the woods. Which I was happy about. Apparently, the whole wolf case was beginning to run cold. They couldn't find anything which was good. We can thank Harry Clearwater for that.

"I better head home before my mom yells at me for being late to dinner again." Jared said.

"Well, I have patrol to do." Paul responded.

"Have fun with that." I said. I didn't feel like going home right now. I knew that if I went home my mom would get mad at me for staying out all night. I know she's only getting mad because she cares but I would much rather not deal with that right now. I know I'm only holding off the inevitable, but I don't care.

"Embry, would you come here for a minute?" Emily asked.

"Uh, yeah sure." I stopped and everyone else left.

"Oooh, Em's in trouble!" I heard Jared say as he sprinted off.

"So, what's up with you and Casey?" She smirked.

"What?" I choked at her sudden question.

"Oh don't play coy with me, what is it between you two?"

"I-I don't know." I said truthfully.

"Well, it's obvious you both care for each other."

"Well, he is my best friend."

She raised an eyebrow. "But you want it to be more than that, don't you?"

"Wh-what, well, I-I-"

She gasped with a smile. "You so do!"

"Emily!"

"What? I'm playing mom, I have to notice these things. So when are you going to tell him?"

"Well, I-I don't know." I widened my eyes at the thought.

"Why are you holding back?"  
She asked.

"Because best friends aren't supposed to be like that. We're supposed to be there for each other and act like nothing is going on." I argued.

Emily frowned. "Is that what you really think? Is that what you really want? To just never tell him how you feel and be miserable about it?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"He doesn't like me . . . like that."

"Bullshit!" Emily blurted. She never swears and her sudden outburst caught me off guard.

"What?"

"He looks at you the same way you look at him. I would know because Sam gives me that look every time I see him. He cares about you, Embry. You are both so scared to tell the other that nothing will ever go anywhere."

"Then what do you suppose I do? Tell him?"

"Yes!" She said it like it was the most obvious answer.

"Every time I try he cuts me off." I explained.

"Then don't let him." She figured.

"Yeah, easier said than done."

"Embry."

I sighed. "Fine! I'll talk to him."

She smiled. "The sooner you talk to him the sooner you can be a couple." She reminded me.

I blushed.

She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be hard, but when has life ever made anything like this easy?"

I grinned back at her. "Thanks, Emily."

\---

Casey's P.O.V.

I basically slept for the rest of the day. I was fully healed by dinner time. The magic of super wolf healing amazes me.

Dinner was strange. Everything was like it used to be. We just talked like we used to. No more awkward silence between family members. Luna did seem suspicious but she didn't mention it. I think she was just grateful to have her siblings be on speaking terms again. I knew I was grateful.  
  
  


**_Well, the boys are finally accepting that maybe they're more than friends ;) hehe, I love it._ **

**_This was just a filler chapter but I hope you guys enjoyed it because some sadness is gonna come in the next chapter._ **


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (angst warning)

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_["You don't get it, I don't want to lose you, Casey." He suddenly blurted out.]_

~~~

"Harry Clearwater is dead." Sam announced solemnly walking into the house.

"What? How?" I jumped up from my spot on the couch.

Sam looked down. "Victoria, the red headed vampire. She attacked him and he had a heart attack."

"Poor Leah, oh God, poor Seth." Jessie covered her mouth at the realization.

"When did this happen? How were none of us there?" Paul questioned.

"It was when he was with the group of hunters looking for us. She's getting bolder. We need to kill her soon before she hurts anyone else in La Push." Sam continued.

"Or anyone for that matter." I added. Yes, we protect La Push but I feel like we should protect anyone in harms way too.

Jacob and Jared walked into the house with sad looks on their faces. "Dad said they're gonna have a funeral for him tomorrow." Jake said quietly. I know what he was thinking. He was worrying about Bella. She told Jacob about what happened to her when she first dated Edward and some psycho vampire decided he wanted to hunt her. And now his mate, the stupid red head we've been chasing all around La Push is after her. This girl just breaths and vampires come after her. Not the luckiest person I know, that's for sure. But now Jacob does extra rounds around her house at night, just to be certain. I can't say I blame him for worrying, she's been acting so distant lately, not in person but mentally. Honestly, I worry for the girl. She isn't so bad. Kind of reminds me of a depressed version of Jessie, but well Jessie swears a whole lot more.

"We need more patrols, Sam. No more single hunts." Jared said.

Sam nodded. "This can't go on any longer."

We sprinted as fast as we could through the forest.

Bella's dad has finally given up his search for the wolves and that means we can have things go back to normal. We can be a pack again.

'Branch off! Jacob stay center with me!' Sam ordered.

'With pleasure.' Jacob sneered.

Paul and I went left while Embry and Jared went right. We've been non-stop chasing this thing for a week now and quite frankly I wanted to tear her to shreds.

Ever since Harry's death we all want her head put on a pike. Harry was a friend of ours, a friend to everyone in La Push. So, his death hit everyone hard, especially the way he died.

The funeral was absolutely depressing. I hate funerals, I hate dead things, I hate the idea of death. I hate all of it. Maybe that's why vampires freak me out so much, because they might talk, they might blink and eat and do things that a living thing does, but the fact is they are still dead. A dead thing that somehow lives.

I was on edge for the whole ceremony. I felt like Victoria would just show up and attack someone else I held dear. Everywhere I was it felt like I was being watched by her and to say the least I was unnerved.

Embry did settle my worries a bit, his simple hand on my shoulder calmed me. His presence just made me feel better. It always made me feel better.

My mom comforted Seth and Leah's mom. She was her best friend after all. They grew up together, it made sense for her best friend to be there for her like that.

I tried my best to help Leah and Seth, but surprisingly out of all of the Apha siblings it was Luna who held herself together the best. I know she barely knew Seth because he was in the grade above her but she hugged him like he had known her all of his life.

Seth is a good kid, a bit popular in his grade but he doesn't act like it at all. And he just crumpled in her arms. His usually child-like smile had just vanished and molded itself into the biggest frown I've ever seen. It hurt me because I knew that if I were in his shoes I would've done the same thing. I would've broken down in front of anyone who even cared to show me that I could just express how I actually felt.  
Luna is good like that and I hope they become better friends after this. She made cookies for them. Leah was moody as she always was but somehow with Luna she seemed to let down some of the stone cold walls she had built inside herself. Leave it to Luna to help even Leah Clearwater feel better.

'Run! Run! Get her!' Paul growled.

'She's going to the water!' Embry announced.

'Cut her off!' Sam ordered.

I sprinted forward along my pack and almost snatched her. I was so close.

Embry bolted ahead of me, he was the fastest after all and almost nabbed her. He was inches from her.

'Get her!' Jake yelled.

Embry readjusted himself and lunged at her.

'No! Embry don't!' It was like I knew what was going to happen before it happened.

Victoria twisted herself around and shoved Embry with so much force he flew into the tree they next to. He yelped as he collided with it awkwardly, as the tree mostly made contact with his side.

'Em!' I yelled.

'Embry!' Sam said second.

Victoria reached the cliffs and dove into the water without looking back.

I rushed over to Em.

'Ow, ow, ow, ow.' He winced as he tried to stand up.

'Hey, hey, hey, take it easy.' I said to him.

He didn't shift back yet which was a good sign, usually you only shift back when your body goes into sudden shock from the pain. Out of all people, I feel like I would know.

'Awe man, you were so close, Em." Jared tried to lighten the mood.

'Closer than all of us.' Paul added.

'Yeah, how much good did that do me? Ah!' He winced again as he finally got to his feet. 'I'm fine, really, I'm all good. Just got the breath knocked out of me.' He added.

I knew he was lying. How you might ask? I could feel it.

'It's your ribs. Did you break a rib?' I asked him.

'How did yo-' He began.

'Let's get you back home. We need to wrap those to make sure it doesn't heal the wrong way.' Sam cut him off.   
'C'mon.' He motioned to start moving. 'We won't see her for awhile.'

The others went ahead and continued behind our leader, but Embry was slow. He stayed farther behind. I turned to him. I had an idea. 'Lean on me.' I told him.

'What?'

'Lean on me. Just trust me on this.'

He didn't even hesitate. He leaned on me and I felt him sigh. He moved a little quicker. 'You're never gonna forget that whole pain thing, are ya?' He asked.

'I don't plan on it.' I responded. 'Any better?'

He nodded. 'Yeah.'

'Goddammit, Casey! Keep your thoughts to yourself!' Jacob turned to me and laughed.

I'm gonna kill him.

\---

Embry's P.O.V.

"Ow! Not so tight!" I hissed as Emily wrapped my ribcage with an ace bandage.

"Sorry, I have to align it properly. It has to stay that way to heal in the correct position or else you'll have issues in the future." She countered.

"I think breathing is important too." I wheezed dramatically.

"Does that mean I have to make it tighter?" Emily smirked.

"No, I think this is fine." I responded.

"Maybe some ice would help." Casey suggested. He kept staring at me worriedly. He had his hand over his mouth pushing on his lip so he could bite it better. He always did that when he was worrying about something.

"I'm fine."

"I think ice is a great idea." Emily smiled. "I have to run to the store for supper so _you_ can get him some ice." She said to Casey while grabbing her keys and going to the door. Casey walked to the fridge and Emily made a face at me. 'Talk to him!' She mouthed at me and left. I rolled my eyes. I could see what she was doing. She was giving us some alone time to talk. I was nervous, but at the same time I was frustrated. I just wanted to tell him how I felt. I just wanted to blurt it all out and be done with it. But at the same time I was so afraid. I don't want to lose him.

Casey grabbed an ice pack and walked up to me with a shy smile. "Where does it hurt?"

I lightly pointed to my right side and he gently placed the ice pack onto it. I winced.

"Does it hurt?" He asked with wide eyes.

"No, just cold." I smirked at him.

He grinned. "Don't scare me like that."

"That's what you get for scaring me the other night." The thought of Casey unconscious like that scared me beyond belief. I don't want anything to happen to him, ever.

"That was a week ago." He argued.

"Still happened."

Casey's P.O.V.

Embry's joking tone suddenly turned serious. "When I saw Jessie bring you here like that I didn't know what to think."

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, or anyone for that matter."

"You don't get it, I don't want to lose you, Casey." He suddenly blurted out. "When you first phased and left the group I didn't know what to do with myself. So when you came here and passed out in my arms I was afraid I was losing you all over again."

I felt my heart skip a beat. "I-I'm sorry." I tried not to look at him. I was afraid of what I'd see in his eyes. So instead I fiddled with the ice pack on his side.

He suddenly grabbed my wrist harshly. "Stop apologizing and just look at me." His words caught me off guard and I couldn't move. It felt like that day on the beach all over again. "Why won't you look at me?"

My words finally came to me. "Because I'm scared, Em." I spoke up.

"Why?"

"I don't know." I felt my hand shake under his touch but I still refused to look him in the eye. I felt myself condense into a paper ball. I knew that I was only lying to myself, but it didn't feel right to say it out loud.

I felt him gently put his hand on my cheek and move my face so I would match his gaze. "That's the thing Casey, I think you do know."

I was so close to him. Our faces were inches apart. All I would have to do was lean in a little more and I could kiss him. But the fear of change instilled in me forbid me to move. Forbid me to let myself be free. I couldn't do it. And just like the night I got hurt, I shut him down because I couldn't deal with it. I couldn't accept the fact that if I let this happen everything in my already changing life would be flipped upside-down and I couldn't emotionally deal with that right now.  
"Embry, I can't-"

"Can't or don't want to?" He argued and pulled me even closer, now we were only centimeters apart. The smell of pine and the ocean radiated off of him making my brain stop functioning. I didn't know what to do. "You need to learn to let yourself go. You don't have to be so afraid." He whispered ever so gently.

I couldn't help but glance down at his lips. I looked back up at his eyes and he was intently staring at mine. In that moment, my heart stopped beating.

"Just let go." He said again and slowly got even closer to me. His lips brushed mine lightly and I didn't move, I couldn't. The power he had over me stopped my body from functioning on its own.

His hand readjusted itself on my cheek and forcefully pulled my face to meet his.

He kissed me.

For a moment that continuous paralysis I was experiencing pursued and I didn't move. But then something within me regained the reins and all that I could think of was kiss him, just kiss him. And so that was what I did. I dropped the ice pack from my hand and quickly brought it to his face to pull him closer to me in any way I could.

For a split second I had forgotten my worries and just gave in to the desires of my heart. But, that moment didn't last forever. I stopped and pushed myself away from him and stared at the floor. What have I done?

I glanced back up at Embry and the expression he was making was a mixture of hurt and confusion. So many questions were running through his head. Many were running through mine.

"I-I-I . . ." I couldn't get my words straight, but it seemed that Embry knew what I was trying to say.

"Casey, don't." His voice broke and my heart dropped.

"I-I have to go." I mumbled and backed away from him.

"Casey." He called but I kept moving farther and farther away. "Casey!" He called again, but this time I was outside and I was bolting down the lawn.

The guys were there and they stared at me with confusion. "Casey?" Said Paul.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked.

But I just ignored them and kept running.

I was disappointed in myself, running away from my problems is very unlike me yet here I am doing just that. I was going to have to come to terms with it eventually, yet right now my flight response was overpowering everything else.

He had kissed me and yet I was still just too afraid to even comprehend that maybe he was just as scared as I was. That that simple kiss was his way of going out on a limb to show me how he felt, yet here I was running even though I knew what I truly felt for him.

I'm in love with him, and its going to be the end of me.

**_Awe my babies had an argument. And Casey is just so scared of everything. Goddamn!! He'll get over it tho. I promise ;)_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!_ **

__


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Odd Occurrences

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[I love Casey and there's nothing in the world that can change that. Not even him.]_

__

~~~

I couldn't face him, I couldn't. It was too hard and it hurt too much. Every time I looked at him it reminded me of how stupid I was. Even if he does feel something for me I couldn't let it happen. After my time away from him I've come to the conclusion that he deserved so much more than someone who couldn't get his thoughts straight. Someone who would let him love them and not push him away out of fear.

I was a fool for thinking I could finally let him in. I'm even more of a fool for letting him think that too.

I looked down at the scar on my arm and frowned. That night changed everything. Maybe if I hadn't let him hold my hand we would still be talking right now. We would still be going on as if everything was okay.

A drip of water landed on my arm and startled me from my thoughts. I looked at it as it trailed down my skin and trickled from the tip of my finger onto the floor. It took me a moment to realize that at some point during my intense self loathing I had begun to cry.

"Fucking idiot." I cursed and rubbed my eyes.

I looked out the window and watched the wind shake the trees and rain pelt the world around me. It was dark out, past midnight and the moon was high in the sky. But I wasn't tired, I was anything but that.

The nightmares I had gotten just before I phased had come back full storm. It had gotten so bad Jessie had to come in to wake me up again. She knew something had happened between Embry and I but I refused to tell her. I didn't want to talk about it, not even with her. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die in a hole and have the world forget about me. To have Embry forget about me.

The idea of him loving someone else made me weep, but it was what would be right. It was what would make him happy.

I sunk to the floor and leaned against my bed. I hugged my knees and looked out the window with a sorrowful expression, only one thought ran rampant in my head; I don't deserve him.

Embry's P.O.V.

It has been three days since we've spoken. I've seen him and been in the same room as him, but he never spoke. He just stared at the ground with a vacant expression. He might've physically been in the same room as all of us but mentally he was a million miles away.

He seemed paler than usual, his normally olive skin had somehow lightened. His eyes held so many emotions I found it hard to decipher what he could possibly be thinking about. His wolf even looked off, his fur was more messy and he was generally just lacking that above average spring in his step. So as you can probably imagine I was beyond worried about him.

I felt guilty because I knew I was the reason he was like this. The reason he wouldn't look anyone in the eye, not just me. All I wanted to do was tell him how I felt and it totally backfired. He won't let go. He won't let himself believe that we could be more than friends and I just couldn't understand it.

Why does he think so little of himself? Why won't he let himself be happy? Just this once.

His actions did hurt me, but I think it was him who was hurting the most after the ordeal. And the worst part about this is the fact that I don't know how to help him because I have made it abundantly clear that I want him, so now it's up to him to get past whatever mental obstacles he's put down for himself. And once he does so I'll be waiting for him. No matter how long it takes I will wait for him.

I love Casey and there's nothing in the world that can change that. Not even him.

\---

Casey's P.O.V.

It was around midnight when I went home from my patrol around Quil's house. He broke a fever and Sam thinks he's gonna phase soon. I can't say that his phasing surprised me as I believed it would've happened since the beginning. The thought of all of my friends finally being together would've normally made me more than happy, but right now I just felt so hollow.

I stared intently at the ceiling all night long and watched the sun rise through the window. I wasn't tired, but I was beyond exhausted.

I knew that food would probably make me feel better in this situation, but the simple idea of it made me wanna puke. I didn't wanna eat, I didn't wanna sleep. I have lost all inhibition to do anything.

I knew that I was slowly killing myself but I didn't care.

It was around 8 a.m. when I finally got myself out of bed. I didn't want anyone to see what a mess I was. I wanted to get up, take a piss, and turn into a wolf before anyone else could question me on my current sanity levels. But that was just wishful thinking, nothing ever works out that smoothly for me.

"Good morning, Case." Jessie glanced up at me and her eyes widened. "Jesus, what happened to you? You look awful."

"Thanks." I said while mindlessly rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. I wasn't gonna eat anything, but searched for food anyway.

"What happened between you and Embry? And I know something happened so don't lie to me." She suddenly asked. She's been trying to get through to me since she noticed my lack of eating the other day.

"Why is that everyone's first idea?" I rolled my eyes at her accuracy. I then decided that I should at least drink some water if I wasn't going to eat, so I grabbed a water bottle and chugged it down.

"Because that's typically what always upsets you. What happened?" She asked.   
"Did he confess his undying love to you or something?" She joked and plopped a strawberry in her mouth.

I choked on my water from her words and started having a coughing fit.

"Oh my god, Casey! Are you okay?" She rushed up to me and padded my back.

"I'm fine." I coughed once more and got myself together. "It's nothing, I promise."

She stepped away from me and gave me a disappointed glare. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what again?" I questioned.

"Lying to me. Casey, just talk to me. Whatever is said in this room will stay in this room."

I looked up at her and sighed. I knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer, not this time. "I kissed Embry." I blurted out.

"You did what?"

"Well, he kissed me, but then um, I kissed him back."  
I rubbed my neck nervously.

"Casey, that's awesome!"

"No, it's not awesome. I-It shouldn't have happened." I looked away from her sadly.

"What do you mean?" She tilted her head at me. "You care about him don't you?"

"Well of course I do." I responded.

"Well, what's the problem then?"

"He doesn't deserve me, Jess. All I do is hurt him."

She looked at me seriously and put a hand on my shoulder. "That is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard. You deserve him as much as he deserves you. You're perfect for one another."

I laughed incredulously. "You don't get it, Jess. It's not that simple."

"It would be if you let it."

"You know what, forget it." I said and turned away from her.

"Casey, you can't keep running from your problems. You're a mess. Look at yourself! You need him and he needs you!" Jessie retorted.

I turned back around and had unfallen tears brimming my eyes. "He doesn't need me."

"Of course he does, you idiot! Don't you love him? Because he loves you! I can see it, Casey. Everyone sees it! Why won't you just give in?"

"Because Jess! I can't! After everything we've been through how am I supposed to just let it happen? He deserves so much more than the scrappy mess you see in front of you. So Jess you tell me! Tell me how I'm supposed to tell him that I love him?"

Jessie's face looked at me with sympathy as she pointed to the door behind me. "I think you just did."

My heart dropped to my stomach as I slowly turned around to see the shocked face of the very person I was just talking about. The very person I had just said that I loved.

"I-I, um, he's shifting." He cleared his throat. "Quil's phasing." He tried to shake off the awe of what had just happened. "Sam told me t-to tell you."

I wiped my eyes quickly and tried to get a hold of myself. I held a low gaze and tried to not let him see how fucked up I was. So I nodded my head in his direction and mustered a simple 'okay' and started to walk outside.

I pushed past him in an attempt to stop a conversation from starting because I was not in the mental state to do so.

I heard him sigh but follow me.

"My god, what did I just witness?" I heard my sister mumble as she face palmed.

I phased as quickly as I could and sprinted towards Quil's house. Embry stayed close behind, I knew he wanted to talk but I prayed he wouldn't try. I just wanted this day to be over.

Embry's P.O.V.

What was I supposed to think? I don't think I was thinking. That look in his eyes shattered me. He was so broken. It was like that day he broke down after Jessie and the others had yelled at him, but this was so much worse.

I wanted to talk to him, and I know he knew that but after what I saw back at the Apha house I don't think now was the right time for that.

We finally reached Quil's house and he was writhing on the ground. We didn't even have to phase to human yet before he suddenly sprung into the air and shifted. His coat was different than the others, he was a honey brown wolf.

'Holy shit!' I exclaimed as Quil started to run. He hadn't even seen himself before he bolted, he just up and ran.

The others shifted and we went after him. 'Quil, stop!' Jake yelled.

He ran further. It bothered me that he wasn't thinking anything. It seemed that his thoughts were just frozen. It made me nervous.

'Quil! It's us!' I tried.

'Us?' He questioned.

'Your friends since elementary school!' I zoomed up next to him.

'Embry?' It seemed whatever trance he was in had passed because now his thoughts were flowing like a river.   
'Ah! I'm a wolf! Why am I a wolf?!'

'Dude, it's okay! Relax! Just stop running and we'll explain." Jake said.

'Jacob? Oh my god, oh my god!' He slowed down. 'You're a wolf too?! Oh my fucking god!'

'Quil, calm down!' I said.

He stopped and turned to us. 'Jesus mother fucking christ! This cannot be happening!" He freaked out and then continued to run again.

'Quil, let us explain.' Casey finally spoke. His voice still sounded hoarse and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me.

'Casey?' He turned his head to him and while he was distracted he crashed into a tree. _Clonk!_

'Ooh, that outta hurt.' Jared winced as him, Paul and Sam came up to us. They were trying to let us talk Quil down since we were his friends before.

'Awe man, he's gonna be feeling that when he wakes up.' Said Paul.

Yes, Quil just ran into a tree and knocked himself out. How very Quil-like of him. I wouldn't have expected anything less.

'Quil?' I poked him with my paw and he didn't stir. I turned to the others. 'I think he's dead.'

He then shifted back to his human form and he was left naked on the ground.

'Wow, he really hit his head.' Embry said.

Jacob cackled at the sight and honestly so did I. I mean he literally just ran into a tree.

'Someone grab him some clothes. I don't need him any more freaked out when he wakes up.' Sam ordered.

'On it.' Jake ran back to his house.

'Trust me. Quil isn't the type to care about whether or not you see him naked. He's too confident to be embarrassed.' I said.

'Yeah, that's Quil for ya.' Casey mumbled.

"Here." Jake said as he was human again.

We all shifted back and Quil suddenly woke up.

"W-what's going on?" He asked rubbing his head. "Ow." He hissed as he touched the sore spot.

"You ran into a tree like a dork." Jake laughed.

"Oh, so that was real? Awe man." He winced.

I laughed. "Welcome to the pack buddy."

Quil wasn't even mad at us for not talking to him all that time. He was more excited than anything. I think he was also just relieved to finally have all of his friends back again. I know I was. The friend group was finally complete, Jessie included. It made all the bad things happening with Casey a little better.

Casey's P.O.V.

When I phased something felt wrong, it felt like I could've phased back to human at any moment. It was very unstable. It was like I wasn't in my own skin. For once, being a wolf seemed wrong.

As we ran after Quil each and everyone of my movements were forced and took more energy than I was used to. I figured it was because of my lack of food and sleep. I was probably just over working myself. That wouldn't be surprising.

As we all went back to Sam's house I tried to pace myself as a dizziness came over me. It only lasted for a moment, but it made me stop moving to gather myself.

"You good?" Jake noticed my odd behavior.

I spotted Embry who turned to see if I was alright.

I felt myself stand up straighter to try and hide the way that I felt. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. "Just tired." I made a point to say it louder than necessary so that it was abundantly obvious to Embry.

He turned away from me and kept walking with the group.

If only my words were true.

**_Aaaaaaah, Casey finally said he loved Embry and right in front of him too! Oh my god!!! This is literally so sad!! So sorry but I felt it needed to be this way, Casey just won't accept anything. He's so stubborn! But don't worry, he'll get over it._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **

__


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Lost

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[I needed him.]_

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~~~

After our talk with Quil about all things pack related I went on a patrol near the beach with Jacob. 

'Do I have to ask you what's going on or are you gonna tell me?' Jake asked.

'Jake, I don't have the energy to talk about it right now.' I said honestly. I felt even worse since since yesterday. My head was throbbing and my body felt tired.

'Well, I'm worried about you. We all are, especially Embry.'

I tensed up at the mention of Em's name.

'You don't have to be. I'm fine.'

'You're a piss poor liar, you know that right?'

I sighed. 'Fuck off, Jake.' I said with no energy what so ever.

Jake rolled his eyes. 'Nice.'

A whistle jostled both of us from our argument. We looked down at the beach to see Jessie smiling and waving at us. How the fuck did she manage to see us

'We might as well say hi.' Jake said.

That was when Jessie screamed. "Oh my god! Bella!" Jessie pointed to the cliffs where the Swan girl stood.

'Bella, don't!' Jake barked but just as we had gotten to her she had jumped.

Jacob and I phased back to human quickly.

"I'm going after her, meet me on the beach." Jake said and dove into the water after his friend.

I ran down to the beach to find a frantic Jessie.

"She just jumped! Why would she jump?" She cried.

"Sh, sh, it's okay." I tried to comfort her as best I could.

Bella was fine once she landed but that was when the waves suddenly became more turbulent.

"Jacob! Hurry!" Jessie yelled. She was close to Bella and knew the girl was struggling internally. I don't think she knew how to help her though. She just wanted to be there for her when she needed her.

"I got her!" Jacob yelled as he got closer to the shore.

Jessie and I went up to him and pulled Bella along the damp sand. She wasn't breathing.

"Oh god! Oh god!" Jessie cried.

Jake started to do CPR to try and resuscitate her. "Breathe! C'mon Bella! Breathe!" He commanded.

After a long moment of silence she suddenly lurched to life, spitting out all of the water trapped in her lungs.

"Oh thank god!" Jessie smiled.

Bella looked up at Jacob weakly. "Jake?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jake questioned her.

"You could've died!" Jessie added.

"I just wanted to see something." She said suddenly. It was obvious she was lying, but I don't think she was suicidal. Well, not exactly anyway.

"Yeah. See your life flash before your eyes." I mumbled.

"C'mere buddy, let's get you to your feet so I can yell at you." Jessie and Jake helped her up.

"Why would you do that? It's like a hurricane out there." Jake questioned her.

"I'm sorry, okay? I wasn't thinking."

"Damn right you weren't! You just about gave me a heart attack." Jessie hugged Bella. "Please don't ever do that again."

"I won't, I promise."

"Good, now c'mon, let's get you something dry and bring you home." Jake said.

We went to Bella's truck which was parked on the ridge and drove her home. Jessie drove and Bella was wedged inbetween Jessie and Jacob, while I got stuck sitting in the truck bed, again!

Bella leaned closer to Jacob in an attempt to soak up as much heat as possible. She was wearing his oversized fleece and she was still shivering. "Jeez, how hot are you guys?" She asked.

"Hundred and eight degrees." I said through the opened back window while somewhat holding onto the back handles for dear life.

"How?" She asked.

"It's a wolf thing." Jake said smugly.

"There's other cool things too, just ask Casey." Jessie motioned to me.

"Like what?"

"We heal really fast. Casey here got stuck in a bear trap and was healed the next night." Jake told her about the night that I would much rather forget.

"What? I don't believe that." Bella said in awe.

"It's true, I'll show ya. Wanna watch me stab my hand?" Jake joked.

"No! Yeah, 'cause that would be fun." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Remember Bella, they are boys and boys make stupid decisions." Jessie remarked.

"Yeah, says the girl I pushed out of the way of said bear trap." I countered.

"Well, that wasn't a decision. That was just an accident. It was dark." She responded.

"Yeah, to which you decided to follow me in the dark." I continued. My argument wasn't that valid but I decided to keep going with it anyway.

"If you wanna argue about why I was following you I have a million reasons why." She challenged me.

"I know. I'm just joking."

"Mhm, sure you were."

"You guys are so close to each other. I wish I had siblings to look out for me like you guys do." Bella said.

"You do. You have us." Jessie smiled and pulled up to Bella's house.

I suddenly froze as a familiar smell wafted past my nostrils. "There's a vampire here!" I warned.

Jacob jumped up with alarm. I know what he was thinking. Either one, it was Victoria looking for Bella or two, it was Edward who had finally returned and everything he and Bella had built up between them would be gone. I think he was hoping it was the first option.

"How do you know?" Bella's eyes widened.

"We can smell the stink. We're getting you out of here. Jessie, drive!"

"Wait a minute." Jess objected.

Bella craned her head so she could see her house. Parked in front of it was a black expensive looking car.

"Wait, it's not Victoria!" Bella said. "It's Carlisle's car!"

"It's a trick." Jacob tried.

I hopped off of the car and waited for Bella to get out of the vehicle. I knew that was exactly what she was gonna do and I didn't feel like being near Jacob when she did.

"Jacob! Let her go." Jessie scolded him and also got out of the car which gave Bella an opening.

Jacob followed close behind.

Jessie came up to me. "Do you think it's Victoria in there?"

"No, and I think that's what Jake's afraid of."

"The treaty says we can only defend on our lands!" Jacob yelled.

"This isn't a war!" Bella argued. She was right. At least, I knew it wasn't supposed to be one.

"Jacob, she's not gonna go in alone." Jessie turned to them. "I'll go in with her."

"Jessie, no!" Jake hissed and turned back to Bella. "Listen to me! You're about to cross a line!"

"Only if you draw one!" She responded and stormed past him.

"I'm not letting you do this." He growled.

"You don't have a choice. I don't belong to you."

"Damn!" I said while watching this drama unfold.

"Fine. Casey, c'mon let the girls enjoy their time with the blood suckers." Jacob gestured for me to follow him. "Hope you don't die!" He said angrily. I know he didn't mean it but I wasn't gonna go along with this childish behavior. I know I've been an idiot for the past few days but I draw a line when it comes to immaturity like this. For this moment I had to get out of my stupid moping mode and grow up.

"Go inside. Scream if you need me." I turned to Jessie. She nodded then began to go inside with Bella.

"What the hell?" Jake asked.

"You're being a dick! If you even cared about her you'd think about what she wants. I know you're only trying to protect her, but this isn't the way to do it. So, grow up or you're gonna lose her!" I yelled truthfully.

"Maybe you should take your own advice!"

"My situation is different than yours, so don't even try to pull that shit with me!" I felt anger sweep across me in a way it never has before. I had finally snapped. "Don't you ever try to use Embry against me like that! You know I'm right!" If I wasn't so fatigued at the moment I know I would've phased out of anger.

He looked shocked by my words then looked down in shame. "Look, I'm sorry. But he broke her, Casey. And I had to pick up the pieces. If he showed up right now she'd run to him and forget everything that he put her through! I can't let that happen!"

My anger dimmed at his concern for Bella. In all honesty, I didn't have the energy to stay mad.

"I get where your coming from, I really do. But I'm telling you this is not the way to do it. Now you're both pissed off and need to cool down. So, just go home Jake. Go for a run. You need to get rid of some of that anger before you grovel at her feet tomorrow."

"But, what about Jessie?"

"I've got it. It seems I've got a more level head right now. Just go home or else something else might happen and we'll have a real war on our hands."

Jake nodded slowly. "Tell her I'm sorry." He said and ran off.

I walked into the house. "What is that hideous dog smell?" I heard as I walked in.

"Jeez, tell me how you really feel." I said.

Bella fumbled with the Jacket she was still wearing. "Probably Jacob and Casey. They're kinda werewolves." Bella said.

"Shapeshifters." I said under my breath.

Alice pointed at me. "He doesn't smell as rancid as this thing." Alice gestured to the jacket Bella was wearing.

"Thank you?"

"I don't smell anything." Jessie said.

"You don't have super senses like I do." Alice told her.   
"But seriously, werewolves Bella? Really, they are not great company to keep." She sighed.

"Speak for yourself. At least we're protecting her from your kind." I defended.

"Our kind?" Alice's voice sounded afraid.

"Yeah, they saved me from Laurent and now Victoria is after me again."

I growled at the mention of her name. My emotions felt all over the place. I think at this point I'm bi-polar.

"I-I didn't see her in my visions."

"Visions?"

"I can see possible outcomes of the future, but Victoria wasn't in any of them." She paused. "She won't touch you while I'm here." She looked up at us. "You guys can go home. I promise everything is well taken care of here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jessie decided then turned to me. "Go home. You need some sleep so that you have energy to have that much needed talk with Embry."

I blushed, I knew she wouldn't let that go.

"I'm not doing that tonight." I really meant I'm not doing that ever, but I knew she wouldn't agree.

"You will eventually. Now go, I know one of you guys are around me at all times. Don't think I don't know that."

"That's Paul's doing." I said and now it was Jessie's turn to blush.

"Just go talk to him. I'm safe. I think Alice has it covered."

"Damn right." Alice smiled.

"Now go." She told me and ushered me out of the house.

I phased and began to walk home. My mind began to race as it always did. My ADHD enjoyed making me think about all of the things that bother me. It was funny like that, but not particularly in a humorous way.

I trudged along steadily, the weight of my thoughts were slowing me down.

The darkness left my eyes unphased, yet I could see clearly. The bustling wildlife around me was visible from all sides. Chipmunks scurried into their burrows. Rabbits hopped out of sight from me and though it was very faint I could hear the quiet chirping of baby birds in their nest. I looked at the world around me with a naked view. What particularly caught my eye were two birch trees that had at some point gotten stuck together and were now growing intertwined. It wasn't exactly normal for something like this to happen in nature, yet I somehow found it to be familiar. It calmed me. Maybe things happen for a reason. They might've started off as two separate trees, but now the support of each other was necessary for them both to survive. They needed one another. The sight in front of me brought a familiar thought to my head. Maybe I should apologize to Embry. Maybe those twisted trees were a symbolic reference to me and Embry's relationship. It might not be normal, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.

'My god, what have I been doing?' I asked myself. My heart began to race. I needed to talk to him. I needed to apologize and make things right. I needed _him._

With the adrenaline suddenly flowing through me I pushed myself forward. I needed to see him, I needed to see him now! No more holding back! No more hiding and running away! No more of anything that wasn't just loving him.

I ran as fast as I could to Sam's house. I knew he would be there because he had patrol later on tonight. Plus, he just always wanted to be away from home.

I came to a sudden stop when the gross feeling I experienced before consumed me. It felt like my skin wasn't my own and everything began to go numb. I tried to push on but a sudden dizzy spell came over me and my steps faltered. I started to fall forward and I closed my eyes just waiting for the impact of my face to hit the ground, but I never felt anything.

When I opened my eyes I was human and I had somehow propped myself up with my hands. My quick reflexes I suppose.

I tried to sit up and just stared at my hands. They were shaking and that was when I felt something I haven't felt in awhile.

I was cold.

I began to breathe heavier and I felt the saliva build up in my mouth as a feeling of nausea came over me.

I had pushed my body too hard. It couldn't go on anymore. I should've eaten something. I should've slept more, but I didn't and now it had come to bite me in the ass.

"P-please." I begged my body to just let me go. To just let me get to Embry. "Please." But it refused to go any longer.

I clawed at the ground in an attempt to drag myself to him, but that proved to be futile. The world around me continued to spin into darkness and there wasn't anything I could do about it.

I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes tightly. I felt my mouth move but I couldn't hear anything over the loud ringing.

That was when the world around me was turned off and I was left unconscious in the dirt.

"Embry."  
  
  


**_Well, that was interesting to say the least. Aaaah, my boy, my poor boy! He'll be okay, I promise. The next chapter will be good._ **

**_New moon is almost at an end, but Casey and Embry's stories have only just begun._ **

**_Keep reading to find out more!_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Found

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[That boy is going to be the death of me.]_

__

~~~

Embry's P.O.V.

"So she just jumped? Just like that?" Paul asked Jacob as he explained how Bella tried her share of cliff jumping.

"And I thought I had problems." Jared snarked.

"Yeah. Fucking stupid if you ask me. She almost drowned." Jacob huffed. "And now one of the stupid Cullens is back in town."

"What?" Sam questioned. "They're back?"

"Only one of them from what I could tell. I never went inside. Casey kinda made me take a walk after my meltdown."

"Wait, so he's alone with them?" I asked worriedly. The idea of Casey being alone with a vampire wasn't exactly a nice one. I don't want him to get hurt.

"Yeah, him and Jessie." Jacob answered. Great, Jess was with a vampire too? Throw anyone else I care about in the mix and we'll have a whole damn party.

Paul's eyes widened. "You left her alone with a vampire?" He was beginning to lose it.

"She's fine, Paul. No one screamed." Jake rolled his eyes. He was in a sour mood. All in all, Jacob is a dick.

"Yeah, but I doubt you were around long enough to make sure. You were too busy being pissed about Bella!" Paul retorted.

"You care so much about her why don't you go and check on her!"

"I will!"

"Knock it off! Both of you!" Sam commanded.

They stopped bickering but continued to glare at one another.

A crack of thunder blasted through the air making everyone grow silent.

"It's gonna be a good storm later on tonight. Probably best if you all stayed home." Sam decided. 

"Better yet, we can all have hot cocoa!" Emily smiled and pulled out some mugs to pour the the hot beverage into. The chocolate scent was soothing as it wafted through the air.

"Yes! Hot chocolate!" Jared cheered.

I grabbed a mug like everyone else and took a sip. "Ah! I burned my tongue!" I winced.

"Let it cool it's still hot." Emily chuckled.

"Thanks for the warning." I said sarcastically and blew on it in an attempt to cool it down.

"No problem." She responded with more sarcasm.

I looked around the room and noticed that Paul still seemed worried about Jessie. I didn't blame him, I was worried about Casey. I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "She's fine, dude. Casey's with her, there's nothing to worry about."

Every time I said his name my heart hurt. I'm worried he's never going to get over his fears.

Paul nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He said but still seemed on edge.

That's when a feeling of nausea swept over me and I suddenly felt light headed. I felt my mug slip through my fingers and crash against the floor.

"Em!" Paul grabbed me by the shoulders to hold me up.

That was when I knew. I knew something had happened to Casey. This was different than last time. The pain then was simple, but this, this was something else. This feeling took over my entire body and clouded my mind.

Everyone crowded around me asking if I was alright but I was too focused on my thoughts to answer them. That was when I finally looked up. "Casey."

"Casey? What about Casey?" Quil questioned.

I finally gained my footing again and felt the haze I was just in clear. "He's in trouble!" I warned. "I-I can feel it! Something happened." I informed them.

The room grew quiet. Casey was in trouble, yet again. What else was new?

Sam spoke up. "C'mon let's go." We all knew where to go. The Swan residence was where he was last, so that is where we're going now. It only made sense.

I stood up quickly and rushed out the door before Sam or anyone else could tell me to stay put. I will not sit here and do nothing while Casey was hurt. I couldn't do it.

I phased quicker than I ever have before and I ran at full speed to Bella's house. If any of those blood suckers laid a hand on him today is the last day they know what immortality is.

'I thought you said it was just a Cullen?' Jared asked Jake.

'It was! It was Carlisle's car.'

'Wait, would they have hurt Casey?' Quil asked.

'If they did I'll kill them!' I growled without hesitation.

The others eyed me warily.

'They wouldn't do such a thing. A war is the last thing they want.' Sam explained.

I didn't care if a war wasn't what they wanted, if they hurt him a war is what they'll get.

'Branch off! Surround the house! I'll go and take a closer look.'

'I'm going with you.' I stated and walked beside him.

'Embry.'

'Don't argue with me on this, Sam. I need to be there.'

He nodded at me and phased back to human. I followed suit and walked up to the door.

After Sam rang the door bell I waited impatiently.

"C'mon, open up!" I hissed.

Jessie opened the door with a laugh but then frowned when seeing our worried faces. "Em? What's wrong? What are you doing here?"

"Is Casey with you?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

She furrowed her brows. "No, I told him to go talk to you. He's not with you guys?"

My heart dropped at her words. He isn't here which meant he's somewhere in the woods alone and hurt. I'm gonna lose it.

"No, we haven't seen him." Sam informed her.

"When did you see him last?" My words sounded so shaken and worried I barely recognized my own voice.

"An hour ago." Jessie grabbed her coat from the hook near the door and put it on. "I'll help you look."

"No, Jessie. Stay here. He might come back to check on you. It's better we have someone here we trust than one of them." Sam said.

"Alice is nice. She can be trusted."

"Jessie, just stay here." Sam said again.

Jessie nodded her head slowly. I think she realized her two legs were inferior to our four when running around the woods in the dark. "I'll call Emily if I see him. Please find him." She begged.

That was when I bolted. He wasn't here so it didn't help him if we stayed any longer. I phased and sprinted across the forest.

'Anything?' Jared asked.

'He's not here.' Sam responded and the search was on.

For all I know he ran all the way to Canada. But I knew he wouldn't do that. I knew something was wrong and that if we didn't find him soon this storm would.

Another boom of thunder rang out.

'Spread out! We'll cover more land that way!' Sam ordered and that was what we did.

I was going to find him, I had no doubt about that. I was just afraid of _how_ I'd find him.

That was when something within me pointed me in a direction. My internal compass said go and I followed without any hesitation. It goes without saying that I have a deep connection with Casey, so I trusted my gut when it came to what it was telling me.

North, go north.

A familiar scent trailed through the air. Casey here, Casey there. Rabbit over there.

I was close. I was so close to him. I could feel it. Sam trailed behind me and let me take the lead. He knew I was onto something.

'You have him?' He asked.

'Yeah.' I smelled the air again and the scent of rain hit me. We had to hurry. If it starts to down pour before we find him the scent trail will disappear. I couldn't let that happen. 'This way!'

Sam howled to let everyone know that I had a lead.

The horrible anticipation ate at me. If my heart beat any faster I would have a heart attack.

'Please be okay, please be okay.' I begged. I was close to tears as the scent got more and more clear.

He was right there.

We came upon a small clearing in the woods and in the middle laid a motionless lump. I froze.

A flash of lightning illuminated the land and the picture only got clearer. It was Casey.

'Casey!' I phased back to human quickly and rushed to him.

"Oh my god, Casey." Paul said shocked.

"Casey, Casey, wake up!" I grabbed his arm and shook him sharply. I visibly examined his body for any wounds, but there was nothing. There was no blood. This wound was internal. "C'mon, Case! Please!" I put my hand on his face and that was when his eyes finally opened.

"Em?" His voice sounded hollow and tired. It concerned me, yet at the same time brought me so much happiness. He was alive!

"Oh thank god!" I cried. I let out a wide teary smile.

"Em?" He blinked a few more times and tried to sit up weakly. "Em? I'm so sorry." Immediately tears started streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." He wept.

I grabbed him and cradled him in my arms. "Sh, it's okay. It's okay." I tried to comfort him. He held onto me tightly and his head was in the crook of my neck.

"I'm so sorry, Em! I'm so sorry!" He wailed.

I looked up at my pack mates and they looked horrified by the sight. We all knew Casey was a mess, but this was a whole new level of fucked up.

"It's alright, Case. It's okay. We'll talk about it later. C'mon let's get you home."

His whimpers suddenly grew quiet.

"Case? I shook him lightly, but he didn't move. "Casey?" I looked down at him and his eyes were closed again. He passed out.

I couldn't help but let out a cry of my own. To see someone you love hurt this badly just broke you.

Sam moved in to try and grab him. "I can carry him." He offered.

I straightened myself out and took a breath. "No, I got him." I responded and readjusted my grip and lifted him in into my arms.

Only I could carry him. No one else could. It's my job to take care of him. I'm the one who's in love with him. It can't be anyone else.

"C'mon, we should bring him home."

Sam nodded. "Let's hurry, it's beginning to rain. I don't want him to get caught in this storm."

"That makes two of us." I said and began to walk. Casey wasn't heavy, sure he was taller than me right now but we both take turns on having our growth spurts and if we're being honest I surpassed six foot four just this week and last time I checked Casey was only six foot two. But I guess we'll just have to see who's taller once he woke up.

When we got to the Apha house his mother sprung into nurse mode. We were all ushered into the living room while she took care of him in his room.

I bounced my leg nervously and stared off at a random spot on the wall. I couldn't think, I was too nervous.

"You did good, Em." Sam said. "If it wasn't for you we probably wouldn't have found him before the storm hit."

The sound of rhythmic drumming against the roof was suddenly made aware to me. It had started to down pour just as we made it to the house.

I gave him a half-hearted smile. I didn't have the energy for a full one.

"If only I stayed with them. Maybe he wouldn't have been alone like that." Jake said guiltily.

"What happened to Casey would've happened at some point. If it wasn't tonight, then it would've been tomorrow. That kid just has bad luck when it comes to staying conscious." Paul sighed.

I laughed lightly. "Damned fool is what he is."

"Don't worry, Em. You can kick his ass when he wakes up." Jared grinned.

I chuckled. "I'll give him something all right." I shook my head.

That boy is going to be the death of me.

**_Wow! So that happened! Everything will only go upwards from here! I promise. Had to have it be a bit sad before we can be happy. Who am I kidding? I'm just mean to my characters._ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Finally

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_["I imprinted on you, Embry."]_

__

~~~

Casey's P.O.V.

Yeah, so while I was unconscious it turns out Jacob went back to Bella's house to apologize for being a dick and things only got worse from there.

Edward called.

Jacob told him Bella was dead and well, it seems that for some reason when one thinks the other is gone they decide that killing themselves is the best option. WHICH IS NOT TRUE! Goddammit! There are better ways to get out your feelings for fucks sake! Romeo and Juliet is not a love story to base your life off of!

So, with that being said now Bella and Alice are in Italy trying to save Edward from getting himself killed and I've only been awake for a total of an three hours for the past three days! What a shit show!

I haven't been able to keep my eyes open long enough to talk to Embry, but I did get to talk to Jessie which made me feel better. Between her and my mom I've got enough food in me to hibernate for the next month. And Luna too, but her cookies always make me feel better.

I just want to talk to Embry, but with everything going on our soap opera will just have to wait.

The pack was currently on Jacob watch duty. With Bella in Italy going after Edward you can probably tell he's losing his fucking mind right now. She doesn't love him like that, but he doesn't want to believe it. Jessie tells me he keeps ranting and raving about how he was so close to having her and Edward goes to ruin it. Jessie also said she had a few words to say to that and I don't feel like repeating them.

But with all this free time to rest, I've been thinking on how I'm going to apologize to Embry and just flat out tell him how I feel. No more beating around the bush.

I do faintly remember incessantly apologizing to him briefly after he found me laying in the dirt. But I still don't think that's enough. This talk was going to be a serious one and I think I'm finally ready to grow the fuck up and grow a pair. I just don't wanna mess it up. 

\---

"Are you awake?" Jared let out a loud whisper as he stuck his head into the room. I put down the book I was reading and grinned at him.

"Yes, I'm awake."

"Okay good, I didn't wanna disrupt nap time."

I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Jared, your loud enough to wake the dead." Paul entered the room behind him with a smirk. "Glad to see you up. Took you long enough."

"What can I say. I needed my beauty sleep." I joked.

"A boot in the ass is more like it." He told me.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not gonna be an idiot anymore. I promise."

"Idiot? You'll always be an idiot with dumb tendencies."

Jared laughed at this.

"Should I bring up Mr. Peen?" I gave Jared a look.

Jared continued to giggle like a child.

"Mister what now?" Paul's eyes widened.

Jared and I began to cackle at the memory.

We all heard the front door open and Jessie greeted whoever had just come in.

"Hey, Em."

My heart stopped.

"Oooooh." Jared joked.

"Shut up, Jare." Paul smacked him.

"Ow."

They quieted and we listened in on the conversation happening in the living room.

"How is he?" Embry asked. Just the sound of his voice made the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

"Much better. His color looks normal now. No more pale Casey."

"That's great." Embry said. "Is he up enough for me to see him?"

"Oh yeah he is. He's been dying to see you."

I blushed at Jessie's words. Thank you for knowing how to embarrass me any chance you can get. I face palmed.

"Ha, ha. You're blushing." Jared commented.

"Is that Jared?" Embry asked.

"Oops, our cover has been blown!" Jared dived on the floor. "Hurry men, quickly now before we are spotted." He crawled across the floor.

"What a dumbass." Paul laughed.

"Oh yeah." I agreed.

I heard footsteps getting closer and I couldn't help but feel my heartbeat quicken. Embry stopped at the doorway and just stared at me for a moment. A lopsided smile appeared on his face.

Jared suddenly grabbed Embry's leg. "We're being bombarded, dive boys! Dive, dive, dive!"

I laughed at the scene in front of me.

"Jared! Get off!" Embry tried to escape the boys grip.

"Never! Hurry Paul! Flee! I will take one for the team!" Jared continued to hold Embry's leg like a crocodile doing a death roll.

Paul sighed and walked over to Jared and grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Jessie came over to see what the commotion was about and laughed at the scene in front of her. "Jared! Oh my god!"

"Drop it!"

"No!"

"Heal! Jared, heal!" Jessie tried.

"Drop it!" Paul continued.

"I will never surrender to the enemy!" Jared continued.

"Bad dog!" Paul scolded and tried to pull Jared off of Embry. That boys grip was just too tight.

"Jare! If I promise to buy you some food will you let go?"

Jared suddenly let go, shot up to his feet and outstretched his hand. "Deal!" He shook Embry's hand aggressively. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Embry laughed. "Only you."

Jared pulled Paul out of the room with a goofy grin on his face. "We should go, they have serious business to talk about." Jared said in a very loud whisper.

"It probably would be best if we left." Jessie smiled at Paul. It's just another excuse for those two to hang out.

Paul nodded with a smirk and they finally left the room.

"Finally." I laughed.

And just as the door closed Jared couldn't help but yell one last thing before he left. "Make sure you use protection!" And then the door slammed shut.

I froze and so did Embry. Jared why do you have to be such an ass?

I suddenly let out a nervous laugh. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Embry laughed as well and we both cackled like fools.

"Now that was something." I chuckled, referring to the odd scene that just occurred minutes ago.

"Yeah, Jared's something all right. I can't wait to see him have a girlfriend. I want to know who would be wild enough to deal with that."

"She'd have to match his knucklehead levels."

"Definitely."

That was when the room got quiet and the atmosphere changed. It was like the calm before the storm.

I heard Embry take a deep breath and clear his throat, which disrupted the awkward silence. "So, am I gonna start or are you?"

I stood up off of my bed and walked around the room nervously trying to figure out my thoughts. "Where do I even begin?"

"From the beginning. When did you start feeling the way that you do, um, about me?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. "They were always there, Em. I just didn't know what they meant. At least not until recently."

"How recently?"

"Very recently. It wasn't until that first day I went back to school when I realized how important those feelings were."

"What do you mean?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"I imprinted on you, Embry."

Embry's P.O.V.

Funny enough I knew what imprinting was before this moment. I figured it out the day Paul imprinted on Jessie. I knew it was something important but stupid enough I never realized that maybe Casey could've imprinted on me. Now that wasn't something I was prepared for.

"Wh-what? How?"

"It can happen anytime after a wolf first shifts. That first eye contact you make with that person is all you need to know you have imprinted. All you can do is think about them day and night and hope to God that they feel the same way about you." Casey said truthfully but looked away from me.

"Like they are the very gravity keeping you to the ground." I added making Casey's head spring up.

"You . . . felt it?" He asked slowly.

"Casey, I've felt it long before that day." I laughed at my honesty. "I've loved you since I first figured out what loving someone other than a family member was. You were just always there. A part of me I could never cut away. Though, I never really tried to." I continued. I felt a tear drip down my cheek. It wasn't of sadness nor joy, but of relief. I was finally just letting him know how I felt and it felt so good.

He didn't speak so I continued, but stared at the floor in front of me as all these words spilled from my mouth.

"We were each so afraid for so long about telling each other how we really felt we only fed into our awful imaginations and made it that much harder to just out and say it." I paused and felt another tear drip down my face. "But, I'm not afraid anymore and I'm no longer going to feed the monster I've created in my head." I looked up and saw Casey staring at me with wide eyes. I let out a teary smile. "I love you, Casey Apha."

Casey's P.O.V.

I froze at his words and just stared at him in disbelief. Those three words were like the key unlocking everything within me and now I felt free.

I couldn't respond, I wasn't thinking. My brain had stopped working entirely but it seemed my legs said otherwise as they swiftly moved me closer to Embry. I only stopped when I was a few inches from his face.

I felt him suck in a choked breath as I stared into his eyes for a moment. A moment in time that would never be forgotten.

And as my body continued to move on auto pilot I gently touched his cheek and wiped away his tears. In response, he leaned into my hand. He closed his eyes and just took in my touch. "I love you too, Embry Call."

His eyes sprung open and I put both hands on his face and pulled him into a kiss I've been waiting so long for.

I felt his hands wrap around my waist as he pulled me even closer.

It seemed we both have been waiting for this moment for far too long and time seemed to stop for a second. And as corny as it might sound, the feeling was magical.

We both stopped to catch our breaths and just smiled at each other lovingly.

"Now that took a lot longer than it should've." Embry laughed.

"Yeah, it really did." I said and then pulled him in once more and the magical moment happened all over again.   
  


**_They kissed!!!! Yaaaassss!!!_ **   
**_Ok ok, well this has been a long road to this very moment. Are you guys happy with it?_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


	20. Chapter Twenty: I Love You

**The Wolves Of Twilight**

_[Imprint or not. I always find my way back to you."]_

__

_(This is a little art piece I made of our boys, hehe. I hope you guys like it. And if you want send me your  
art if you make any. I'd be happy to see it. And one more thing, please don't steal this. I worked hard on it, thanks.)_

~~~

The Cullens are back. They arrived yesterday, all of them. They seem weary of us and I don't blame them. It wasn't like Sam or the others made them feel welcomed or anything. But it wasn't like they made it easy when they left either.

I still don't understand the hate between each of us. I don't necessarily like the Cullens, but I don't hate them, they haven't done anything wrong, well that I know of anyways. But whenever I ask anyone why they hate the Cullens it's simply because they are vampires and vampires kill. But then again, don't we also? We kill other vampires to save humans but in the end it's still killing nonetheless. And the Cullens only do that too.

So, what's the big deal?

Everyone is so blinded by the mutual hate they don't see the reasons why we should be more nice to one another. And I doubt they ever will.

One person who is the most unhappy about the Cullens returning is Jacob. He is a mess and he was right about what he said would happen. Bella did run back to them like before, but they also welcomed her with open arms. It seemed that the feeling is mutual between them.

But I think what worries Jacob the most is the thought of Bella no longer being Bella. The thought has occurred to me too, and also Jessie. That was worrying. Her getting turned will start a war between us and the Cullens and quite frankly I don't want that to happen. I really don't.

I don't want anyone I love to get hurt, but nor do I want them to get hurt. Just like us they are a family and to see a family get torn apart would kill me. Especially being the person I am and how close I am to mine.

But I don't want to think about that right now. I'm currently running through the woods with Embry. We're on our way to our special spot that over looks the beach. It's beautiful and the sun was about to set.

'C'mon slow poke!' Embry zoomed in front of me.

'I'm coming! Jeez, not everyone can be as fast as you.' I retorted.

'Yeah, but you could try.' He smirked.

I rushed up beside him and tried to stay at his speed. I was bigger than him in my wolf form, so I was stronger but given his smaller stature he was able to be more agile and quick compared to the rest of us. What a perfect duo.

'Finally. Took you long enough." Embry brushed up against me as we ran.

'Just try and keep up.' I responded and went ahead of him.

'Speak for yourself!'

We finally made it to the Cliffside overlooking the water just in time to watch the sun set below the horizon line.

I phased back to human and sat on the ground. Embry followed suit and sat down beside me.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. It's beautiful, Casey." Embry watched the sky.

I turned to him and soaked in the awe on his face. "Not as beautiful as you." I smirked.

He turned to me. "Wow, smooth." He chuckled and sat closer to me.

"I know. I learn from the best."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He joked and pushed me slightly.

Being dramatic I laughed and fell over. "Could've been worse."

"Definitely could've." He said and moved so that he was now hovering over me. Our faces were so close I could kiss him. I planned to.

His face smiled but looked serious at the same time.   
"I love you, Casey. And all of your stupid jokes." He smirked and gently caressed my cheek.

"And, I love you and all of your snide remarks." I smirked.

He grinned and leaned down, bringing our faces that much closer together. He pulled my face closer and I moved forward.

Ever since we finally told each other how we felt the other night everything finally felt like it was going to be okay. Things were finally looking up and I was just so happy. It felt so good being with him. He made me feel so good about myself, like I could do anything in the world. With him I felt like I could fly, and I loved it. I never wanted to be away from him and now I never had to.

I moved my hand up behind his head and laced my fingers inbetween his hair and pushed him forward so that I could finally kiss him again. That was something I found out last night, Embry likes it when I touch his hair like that. It seems to rile him more and I loved it.

One thing I found out about myself last night was that I just enjoyed Embry touching me. The simple contact between us made me go crazy, and I know he knew that by the way he slowly trailed his hands up my side. Almost like he was trying to let me soak in every inch of his touch. It made me kiss him harder.

His kisses left my mouth and soon started to trail down my cheek, to my jaw and then landed on my neck.

I let out a soft moan I didn't know I was keeping in and I felt him smile against my skin. I felt like I was losing myself, but in a good way. With him, I could finally let go of everything that worried me. I didn't have to pretend, I could just be myself.

"I think I found your sweet spot." Embry teased.

"Shut up." I responded and he did shut up.

He shut up and kissed me again and again.

My body felt like it was on cloud nine.

That was when the moment came to an end.

Embry suddenly sat up looking around on high alert.

"Wh-what?" I followed suit and tried to get myself together.

"Someone's here." He said.

Paul suddenly emerged from the woods. He looked at us awkwardly. "Um, did I interrupt something?"

Jared suddenly popped out of the woods. "We totally did!" Jared laughed.

I felt my face turn red along with Embry.

"Whatever." Paul said, disregarding the scene in front of him. "We're having a meeting. Sam wants us all there."

I was glad Paul had just brushed off what had happened. It made me feel less awkward, but not that much less.

"I'm guessing it's about the Cullens?" Embry asked while standing. I don't know how he managed to utter a single word after what had just happened. Smooth mother fucker.

Paul nodded and sighed. "Yup." He then began to walk towards the woods.

"Those stupid bloodsuckers just don't know how to stay away." Jared remarked and began to walk off.

Embry pulled me to my feet and smiled. "Having trouble?" He said referring to my lack of speech.

I turned to him. "Yes. You tend to do that to me sometimes." I said truthfully and started walking. 

\---

"We have to be on exceptionally high alert now. The Cullens always bring unwelcome visitors when they return, whether they mean to or not."

"That red head should be gone by now. Jacob and I chased her all the way to the Canadian borders." Quil spoke up.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling that she'll come back." Sam told us. "She always does."

The idea of her hurting Embry again made my skin crawl. I wasn't gonna ever let that happen again.

"So, what's the plan then?" I asked.

"No solo patrols, stay on guard at all times and just be super cautious. I don't want to see any of you get hurt." Sam said while looking directly at Embry and I. Well, we were the most accident prone, especially me.

Jessie suddenly walked up the porch and stopped at the open door. We all turned to look at her. "Oh, sorry. Is this a bad time?" She asked.

"No. It's alright, Jess. We were just finishing up." Sam assured her.

Something about Jessie seemed different. I couldn't put my finger on it. But just something about her had just changed.

"Hey." Paul went up to her with a smile and she greeted him back.

I rolled my eyes playfully and turned to my friends. "This red head sure is getting on my nerves." Quil said.

"Yeah, you can imagine how annoyed we are. We've been dealing with her longer than you have." Said Jake.

"I can only imagine." He responded, seeming to be sorry for us.

The phone suddenly rang and Sam went to answer it. "Sue? What's wrong?" He paused to listen. The whole room got silent. "Okay, we're on our way."

"What happened?" Embry asked.

"Sam and Leah are phasing." He said and sprinted out the door. We all followed, minus Jessie who stayed behind with Emily.

"Leah is shifting? But she's a girl?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, how can that happen?" Jared added.

"I don't know how either. I guess there's more to phasing than we first thought."

It has never been thought that a girl could phase before. The whole idea had just flew over our heads. In all of the legends it was only guys who had phased, never a girl. Well, until now that is.

When we arrived at the house two wolves were in the Clearwater's lawn. Apparently, they just phased without a clue. There weren't any precursors like the pain or anything, Leah shifted first and I guess it freaked out Seth so much that he phased too. Pretty crazy actually.

He's so young compared to us, I'm sixteen turning seventeen soon and Seth was only fifteen, barely a year older than Luna. This whole experience must be traumatic to say the least.

Leah and Seth ran in separate directions so Sam split us up. Seth knew me so I went after him with Jared and Jake.

'Seth, it's okay.' I tried to tell him.

"Run, run, run! Sister . . . Wolf! Run!' Is all I heard in his head. I genuinely felt bad for him. He was so terrified.

'Seth! You know us! Stop running! It's me, Jacob!' Jake tried to get through to him and he seemed to slow down a bit.

I ran up besides Seth which wasn't an easy task. He was fast, like Embry fast. 'I'm Casey. C'mon you can stop running. It's gonna be okay.'

He then slowed down entirely and came to a stop. 'Please, don't hurt me.'

'Don't worry, we would never. You're a part of our pack now. Pack defends the Pack.' I said.

'Damn, kid! You have some speed!' Jared exclaimed.

Seth seemed to laugh at that and he finally calmed down enough to let us bring him back to his house, where we found Leah in her human form, thankfully not naked. Now that would've been awkward.

Seth phased back soon after we arrived and Sam explained everything as he always does when someone first changes.

Leah wasn't happy. She sort of hates Sam and it's understandable why. She's pissed at him for suddenly falling in love with Emily over her. They were gonna get married and then Sam imprinted and everything went to shit.

"What the fuck, Sam?" Leah said angrily.

Sam sighed and motioned for all of us to leave. I gladly left the room. I'd much rather not get second hand embarrassment, thank you very much.

Seth seemed happy with being a wolf. He thought it was pretty cool. He didn't even seem upset when we told him about distancing himself from others. He just said okay and went with it. God, I wish I was like him.

\---

During everything that happened in the last week I totally forgot I had school the next day. There went my vacation.

"School is the worst!" Jake groaned during our math class.

"Agreed. Dude, I just wanna take a nap."

The bell rang and it was time for lunch. "Bro, has it occurred to you that we're almost seniors?" Jared came up behind us in the hallway.

The idea was a scary one. "Eew, closer to being an adult."

"Closer to being free." Jared countered.

"Closer to getting an actual job." Jake added.

"I do have a job." Jared countered.

"One that actually pays money." I responded.

"Okay, fine."

We walked into the cafeteria and out the side doors to where the picnic tables were. We were allowed to sit outside all year, administration didn't really give a fuck.

"Oooh, dino nuggets!" I said as I sat down and looked at my food.

Embry laughed as he sat beside me. "You're like a kid."

"Good! Adults are boring." I said and bit the head off of one of the nuggets.

"Viscous." Jake remarked.

"Thank you."

Quil sighed and sat down. He's been sad since we got into school.

"What's got you so down?" I asked him.

"It's because of that girl he likes to hang with."

"Her name is Sorsha and she's great." Quil told him.

"Sorsha? What kind of name is that?"

"A good one." Quil grumbled.

"Oh man, he's whipped." Paul laughed.

"Should I mention Jessie or not?" Quil retorted.

Paul's face dropped and he blushed.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." He turned back to the table where Jessie and Sorsha were sitting. Jessie still hung out with her. She's good like that.

Sorsha seemed to be eyeing our table whenever Quil looked away and I picked up on this. We all teased Quil about his crush, but he was just lucky enough to have a girl like him back like that.

I was lucky too but well my situation is a little different.

It wasn't until the end of lunch when Quil and her finally met each others gaze. And well, that's when the sparks began to fly.

"Oh, fuck." I said as I saw Quil start to hyperventilate.

"What?" Embry asked me.

I pointed to Quil and then got up.

"Quil?" Embry asked.

The others began to catch on. "Hey, Quil. Snap out of it." Jake shook him.

"S-Sorsha." He mumbled but never stopped making eye contact with her.

And unlike Embry or even Jessie when they got imprinted on Sorsha stood up and walked with so much power in her step she got to Quil before any of us could get him to his feet.

He stood up quickly, towering over the girl and just gave her a goofy smile.

We all just watched in amazement at what happened next.

Sorsha grabbed Quil and pulled him down to her level and kissed him. She kissed him, right then and there. No hesitation what so ever.

My jaw dropped as I was speechless along with everyone else.

Sorsha pulled away from Quil for a moment and smiled. "I've wanted to do that for awhile now."

"Yeah, me too." He smiled back and kissed her again.

"Yeah, Quil!" Jared cheered and we all just applauded the show.

I turned to Embry. "Imagine if that had happened when I imprinted on you."

"Yeah, no. That would be too easy. What we have is a slow burn love." Embry grinned.

\---

Later on that day I found myself lying in the grass next to the cliffs. I was staring into the sky and just relaxing in the moment. Everything was perfect now. In the past few months I've managed to turn into a wolf, imprint on my best friend, get stuck in a bear trap to save my sister, and then actually kiss the love of my life.

The puzzle pieces have finally seemed to fall into place for me and I was so grateful for how it all turned out.

The sun dipped below the horizon line as it did the day before. It left an orange glow across the land.

I heard a rustle of the grass beside me and turned to see Embry laying there.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey." I smiled back at him.

"So, this is where you go all the time?" He grinned.

"More like where we go. I know you sit here too sometimes." I said to him.

"Yeah, it's just so peaceful here." He looked up at the sky.

I then felt his fingers become intertwined with mine and the tingles coming from his touch brought a smile to my face.

"To think this might not have happened. Us." Embry said without looking at me.

I turned to him. "It would've happened. Imprint or not. I always find my way back to you."

He smirked at me and scooted closer so that he could rest his head on my chest.

I wrapped my arms around him and just enjoyed his presence. I rested my hand on his head and gently played with his hair.

"You might not want to do that if I were you. Might make me wanna kiss you or something." He said while drawing circles on my skin with his fingers.

"That was the plan."

**_Aaaaaaahhhh! My babies are finally together and they're happy!! Yaaaaaayy!!! It only took like forever lmao._ **

**_This is the last chapter of New Moon and Eclipse will be up next and there's some interesting stuff happening so be ready!_ **

**_I'm so happy!_ **

**_Thank you for reading my lovelies!!!_ **


End file.
